Saquon Barkley proves his value with 3 TDs in Eagles' debut, giving offense a dangerous dimension

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Let LeBron James have the final say on Saquon Barkley’s three-touchdown debut for the Philadelphia Eagles.

“OMG SAQUON SO DAMN QUICK /FAST!!!!!!! SO GOOD MAN!” the Los Angeles Lakers star wrote on social media.

So quick, so fast, indeed.

The New York Giants couldn't sign him. The Green Bay Packers couldn’t catch him.

Barkley proved Friday that he can become the game-breaking running back the Eagles have long needed as they chase a Super Bowl. Barkley rushed for 109 yards and scored on an 18-yard catch and runs of 11 and 2 yards. He led the Eagles to a 34-29 victory over the Packers in the NFL's Brazil debut.

With a three-year deal for $26 million guaranteed, Barkley is the highest-paid running back in franchise history.

He just might become the most valuable one.

Yes, it’s only one game, but it’s easy for the Eagles to get excited about what they have in their 27-year-old running back. For all the talent Barkley possessed with the Giants, for all the big numbers put up for the fellow NFC East team, Barkley never played on a team that rivaled the talent that surrounds him with the Eagles. From Jalen Hurts to A.J. Brown, to a traditionally strong offensive line — one that played through some growing pains without retired six-time All-Pro center Jason Kelce — Barkley is just one of the key cogs that makes the offense go.

“The O-line played great. That’s a big reason why I wanted to come to Philly,” Barkley said.

His three touchdowns were the most by an Eagles player in his debut since Terrell Owens in 2004.

“There's going to be games where there's opportunities for me to take over,” Barkley said.

Barkley just needs to stay healthy, easier said than done for a running back who dealt with injuries for most of his tenure with the Giants.

The Eagles have had three players lead the team in rushing each of the last three years and declined to sign 2023 leader D’Andre Swift. They expect to use Barkley as a three-down workhorse they haven’t seen since LeSean McCoy’s heyday ended a decade ago. He played in 14 games last season, missing three because of a high ankle sprain.

He was the go-to player in New York. He's just part of a talented offense in Philly — a big part, yes. But even Barkley acknowledges that having Pro Bowl players around him could make it easier to have success — possibly a career year — with the Eagles.

“I'm probably on the scouting report not even top three you have to worry about,” he said.

Also, here’s a hard knock against the Giants — just what were they thinking in letting Barkley go?

“I’ll have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia, I’ll tell you that,” Giants owner John Mara said on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” that chronicled Barkley’s free agency.

If true, Mara had to be feeling a bit drowsy on Saturday.

Kellen Moore’s offense. The first-year coordinator let it rip in the opener in his first game since taking over for the fired Brian Johnson. Barkley topped 100 yards rushing and Brown had 119 yards receiving and a touchdown. DeVonta Smith had seven catches for 84 yards.

Ball security. The Eagles lost the turnover battle 3-1. Hurts threw two interceptions — he tied for the NFL lead last season with 15 — and fumbled a tush-push snap late only for Barkley to jump on the ball and save the possession that ended up in a field goal for a 34-29 lead.

Linebacker Zack Baun sealed the win with a sack on the last play of the game, the highlight in his first game with the Eagles. He had a career-high 15 tackles and could solidify the middle of the defense.

The defense was all over the place statistically in an uneven performance against the Packers. It held the Packers to just three field goals when they drove inside the 20. Reed Blankenship set up Barkley’s third touchdown with an interception that gave Philadelphia the ball at the Green Bay 25. The Eagles did allow 414 total yards, 163 rushing yards and 7.1 yard per play. That’s not quite sustainable for any team trying to make a run to the Super Bowl. It’s a work in progress under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, but promising plays were there.

The Eagles were lucky to escape unscathed playing on a sloppy turf in the Southern Hemisphere.

“Definitely challenging on that field. It’s not the type of field we’re used to playing on,” Hurts said.

With NBA training camp still weeks away, James clearly had an interest in the game, and he, like everyone else, could tell the field was in shoddy shape.

“Man this field sucks!!! GB vs PHI,” he wrote on social media.

26-9 — Coach Nick Sirianni is 4-0 in openers in his career, a key reason why the Eagles are tied with the Chiefs for the best record (26-9, .743) in the NFL since 2022.

The Eagles get a nice break before their home opener on Monday night, Sept. 16 against Atlanta.

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Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the first half of an NFL football game, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at the Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Doug Benc)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the second half of an NFL football game, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at the Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) reacts during the second half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at the Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) reacts during the second half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at the Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) leaves to field after their win against the Green Bay Packers in an NFL football game, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, at the Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Tito Jackson, one of the brothers who made up the beloved pop group the Jackson 5, has died. He was 70.

Jackson was the third of nine children, including global superstars Michael and Janet, and was part of a music-making family whose songs have sold hundreds of millions of copies.

“It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson is no longer with us. We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken. Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being,” his sons TJ, Taj and Taryll Jackson said in a statement posted on Instagram late Sunday.

The Jackson 5, among the last of the major groups launched through Berry Gordy's Motown empire, included teenage and pre-teen brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and lead singer Michael. Gordy signed them up in the late 1960s, when Motown's power was slipping and tastes were shifting from the slick pop-soul of Motown's prime to the funkier sounds of Sly and the Family Stone.

“I Want You Back,” the group's breakthrough hit, was openly modeled on Sly and the Family Stone and topped the charts in 1969. The Jacksons followed with three more No. 1 songs, "ABC," “The Love You Save" and “I’ll Be There," and also hit the top 5 with “Mama's Pearl” and “Never Can Say Goodbye."

Some called their music “bubblegum soul.”

By mid-decade, the Jackson 5's appeal was fading and the group, except Jermaine, moved to Epic and renamed themselves the Jacksons. Their latter hits included “Enjoy Yourself,” “Lovely One” and “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)." Michael Jackson became a multi-platinum solo artist in the 1980s and his collaborations with his brothers became rare after the 1984 album “Victory."

The Jackson 5 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, introduced at the ceremony by longtime friend Diana Ross.

Among reactions to the death was a message from the Broadway production “MJ," about Michael Jackson and his family. On X, the show called Tito Jackson “an icon of the music industry who has inspired generations of singers, musicians and performers across the world. None more so than our MJ family.” It included a photo of Tito Jackson attending the show.

Raised in Gary, Indiana, the Jackson 5 had been formed under the guidance of their father, Joe Jackson, a steelworker and guitar player. Michael and sibling La Toya would accuse him of abusive behavior. Toriano Adaryll “Tito” Jackson was the least-heard member of the group, working as a background singer who played guitar.

Michael Jackson died at age 50 on June 25, 2009. Speaking to The Associated Press in December 2009, Tito Jackson said that his younger brother's death pulled the family closer together.

“I would say definitely it brought us a step closer to each other. To recognize that the love we have for each other when one of us is not here, what a great loss,” he said, adding he would personally never “be at peace with it.”

“There’s still moments when I just can’t believe it. So I think that’s never going to go away,” he said.

In 2014, Jackson said that he and his brothers still felt Michael Jackson's absence in their shows, which continued with international tours.

“I don’t think we will ever get used to performing without him. He’s dearly missed," Jackson said, noting that his brother's spirit "is with us when we are performing. It gives us a lot of positive energy and puts a lot of smiles on our faces."

Days before his death, Jackson posted a message on his Facebook page from Germany on Sept. 11, where he visited a memorial to Michael Jackson with his brothers.

“Before our show in Munich, my brothers Jackie, Marlon, and I, visited the beautiful memorial dedicated to our beloved brother, Michael Jackson. We’re deeply grateful for this special place that honors not only his memory but also our shared legacy. Thank you for keeping his spirit alive," Jackson wrote.

Jackson was the last of the nine siblings to release a solo project with his 2016 debut, “Tito Time.” He released a song in 2017, “One Way Street,” and told the AP in 2019 that he was working on a sophomore album.

Jackson said he purposely held back from pursuing a solo career because he wanted to focus on raising his three sons, who formed their own music group, 3T. Jackson's website offers a link to a single featuring 3T and Stevie Wonder titled, “Love One Another.”

Earlier this year, Jackson settled in a house in Claremore, Oklahoma near Tulsa, Tulsa World reported. “I always wanted to get away from the West Coast and experience living somewhere with new people and new culture,” the paper quoted Jackson as saying. “California is ... different.”

Jackson had ties to the area: His uncle, Samuel Jackson, had opened Jackson Undertaking Co. in Tulsa in 1917, and when it burned down during the Tulsa Race Massacr e in 1921, Samuel Jackson was hired by a white-owned funeral home to embalm the bodies of Black residents who were killed, the paper reported. He later rebuilt his own company.

Jackson also is survived by his brothers Jermaine, Randy, Marlon and Jackie, his sisters Janet, Rebbie and La Toya, and their mother, Katherine. Their father died in 2018.

Jackson's death was first reported by Entertainment Tonight.

FILE - Pop star Michael Jackson, center, his mother Katherine Jackson, right, and brother Tito Jackson, left, leave Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria, Calif., April 7, 2005, after another day of testimony in Michael Jackson's child molestation trial. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File)

FILE - From left, brothers Jackie Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jermaine Jackson and Marlon Jackson pose for a portrait together in Beverly Hills, Calif., Dec. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

FILE - Singer Tito Jackson arrives at the opening night of, "Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour," in Los Angeles, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg, File)

FILE - The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson, front right; Marlon Jackson, front left; Tito Jackson, back left; Jackie Jackson, back center; and Jermaine Jackson, back right; pose for this undated photo together in Los Angeles. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - Tito Jackson, a member of the famed Jackson 5, poses for a portrait in Los Angeles, July 24, 2019, to promote his solo project, a new version of his 2017 song "One Way Street." (Photo by Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP, File)