Jason Kelce was delighted to see the Philadelphia Eagles get off the mark against the Green Bay Packers on Friday night – despite admitting it was a ‘sloppy game’ out in Brazil.
The Eagles made the perfect start to the new NFL season after holding on for a hard-fought 34-29 win over the Packers at Sao Paulo’s Corinthians Arena, where the two sides battled it out in a special international fixture.
Saquon Barkley proved the hero on his eagerly-awaited Philadelphia debut, scoring three touchdowns to inspire his hometown team to victory.
It marked the Eagles’ first outing since Kelce – who enjoyed an iconic 13-year spell with the franchise – made the difficult decision to retire from football at the end of last season.
And after watching them hit the ground running in 2024, the 36-year-old took to X to both praise his former team and point out where they can improve to go to the next level.
Jason Kelce was delighted to see the Philadelphia Eagles get off the mark against the Green Bay Packers on Friday night
Saquon Barkley scored three touchdowns as the Eagles beat the Packers 34-29 in Brazil
‘Eagles 1-0, great first game of the year against a very good Packers team,’ Kelce wrote.
‘Sloppy game, but when they were executing man, they are rolling. Lot of good in this one, clean up some of the first game jitters on O, and stop the explosives on D and we are rolling 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦!!’
In the dying seconds of the game, Packers quarterback Jordan Love was forced off with a lower leg injury as his team slumped towards an opening defeat.
Kelce added with another post: ‘Hopefully Jordan Love is okay, love watching him play, was quietly a little nervous about this one, big win for the Good Guys’.
The Eagles started life without Jason with a win thanks to Barkley’s three touchdowns on a remarkable debut for his hometown team.
For the first time in 13 seasons there was no Kelce at center for the Eagles. Although there were some teething problems on the offensive line, they got the better of the Packers to open their new era in style.
Fueled by Barkley’s two rushing touchdowns and another through the air, Nick Sirianni’s team showed little resemblance to the team that collapsed remarkably down the stretch last season.
Kelce took to X after the game to commend his ex-team and point out where they can improve
The 36-year-old spent 13 seasons with Philadelphia before retiring at the end of last season
Kelce also sent well wishes to Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love after he limped out injured
A.J. Brown also scored on a historic night for the NFL as the league played its first-ever game in the southern hemisphere.
Kelce, who has been at the Eagles facility during the offseason but will make his ESPN debut on Monday night, tweeted a number of times throughout the game.
It was not all plain sailing for the Eagles, though. During the first quarter fans flooded Kelce‘s social media, begging him to come out of retirement.
It came after Cam Jurgens, who has moved along the offensive line from guard to center to replace Kelce, snapped the ball to quarterback Jalen Hurts way too quickly.
Hurts was not ready for the ball and it ricocheted off his body and loose, allowing the Packers defense to pounce on it and turn it over. A similar situation arose at the end of the game when the Eagles tried to score with a ‘tush push’ to put the result beyond doubt.
Kelce, who was watching the game from home, was immediately bombarded by messages from fans who begged him to come out of retirement after the play.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for the Eagles after Cam Jurgens, who has moved from guard to center to replace Kelce, made a huge mistake early on
But Barkley, who scored his first touchdown since joining from the New York Giants with a superb catch, went on to steal the show
It was a huge win for Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, whose team inexplicably collapsed last year
One fan wrote: ‘Eagles about to pay Jason Kelce a billion dollars to come back’.
Another commented: ‘That’s it @JasonKelce needs to put his jersey back on and get out in the field’.
‘If I’m the Eagles I’m calling Kylie (Kelce) to get permission to get @JasonKelce back on the field,’ posted a third.
Another added: ‘Uhh maybe the Eagles should call Jason Kelce to see if he wants to come back.’
Kelce took to X to voice his support for Jurgens after one play, writing: ‘Cam Jurgens! Pulling center! Gotta love it’.
