The NFL’s first game in Brazil features two NFC teams on the rise on Friday night.
Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles will face Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers at Corinthians Arena in San Paulo.
Hurts and the Eagles begin the season after an early exit in the postseason last season, after reaching the Super Bowl in 2022-23.
Love and the Packers put the world on notice in the playoffs last year, upending the Dallas Cowboys before falling to the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.
The Packers and Eagles will likely be playoff contenders this season, offering an exciting Friday night matchup in South America to begin the 2024 NFL season.
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The Packers-Eagles game begins at 8:15 p.m. ET and will be available to live stream on Peacock.
The Eagles (-150) are the moneyline favorite, while the Packers (+125) are a slight underdog. The over/under is set at 48.5 points, with the Eagles favored by 3 points, according to BETMGM.
The NFL will play its first game in Brazil on Friday, as the league continues to expand its footprint internationally with an entrance in South America. Brazil is a key market for the NFL, which has played games in England, Germany and Mexico in recent years. The league will play a game in Madrid in 2025.
"Bringing the NFL to new continents, countries and cities around the world is a critical element of our plan to continue to grow the game globally," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement when the game was first announced last December.
"Brazil has established itself as a key market for the NFL, and we are excited to be playing in Brazil and São Paulo for the first time in 2024. We look forward to working with the city of São Paulo, SP Turis and Corinthians Arena to deliver a world-class game day experience for this passionate and growing fan base."
Hurts enters his fifth NFL season as the Eagles’ $51 million starter. Only Patrick Mahomes (36) and Josh Allen (35) have more wins than Hurts (33) since the start of the 2021 season. Look for Hurts to expand his leadership role this season after longtime center Jason Kelce retired. But a return to the playoffs is imperative for Philadelphia.
Love enters his second season as Packers starter (fifth overall) after signing the richest contract for a quarterback in NFL history (four years, $220 million) this offseason. Love will make a league-high $55 million this season, with high expectations after a torrid playoff run last season. The Packers beat the Cowboys 48-32, but lost to the 49ers 24-21 before the NFL title game.
Running back Saquon Barkley was the face of the New York Giants. Now, he’s playing for the Eagles after signing a three-year, $37.75 million deal this offseason. He'll bolster an offense behind Hurts with dynamic receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. The Eagles could lean on their run game behind Hurts and Barkley to keep the Packers’ offense off the field during their opener.
Here are the USA TODAY Sports staff’s predictions for Friday's Brazil game:
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