SAO PAULO, Brazil — Despite all the months of talk about bringing Jalen Hurts back to his 2022 level — the changes at offensive coordinator and in the scheme that were made to get him back to his old level, and how he seemed to be on track after a strong training camp — the quarterback looked a lot like he did in the Eagles’ season opener last season.

Hurts was all over the map, which may have been a product of playing a game 5,000 miles away from Philadelphia on another continent. But it felt a lot like some of his performances during the epic 2023 collapse, except for the obvious: The Eagles won on Friday night.

And they beat the Green Bay Packers 34-29, despite Hurts’ three turnovers, three others he nearly committed and several other questionable decisions that could have doomed the Birds in South America.

It wasn’t all bad, of course. The Eagles didn’t score four touchdowns and two field goals without their quarterback producing occasionally. Hurts had some impressive throws, some tough runs and, if you looked closely enough, there were hints of just how effective he could be in Kellen Moore’s new offense.

“I thought he did some really great things in some key moments,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “There’s going to be plays he wants to get back, but he had some really good moments, too.”

» READ MORE: Eagles numbers: Jalen Hurts has uneven performance against Packers as D-line struggles

But Hurts’ ill-advised pass, which led to an interception on the first series and a fumble when he wasn’t ready for the snap on the second series, could have been much more costly had Vic Fangio’s defense not limited the Packers to just six points.

“Those are things that I have control over and I have to get better at and take responsibility for,” Hurts said. “But that’s the thing. You have moments where you’re like, ‘Oh, well, we missed this opportunity, we didn’t capitalize on this opportunity, but how do we respond to that?'”

Moore’s response was to pull quick passes to receivers AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith and feed workhorse running back Saquon Barkley after early turnovers. Those three, including the offensive line, were the heroes of a back-and-forth game as the Eagles defense began to resemble the 2023 version.

» READ MORE: Saquon Barkley Show saves Eagles’ poor defense and Jalen Hurts in NFL’s Brazilian adventure

But Hurts’ touchdown pass to Barkley on a wheel route that gave the Eagles their first lead was a thing of beauty. With the Eagles trailing 19-14 at halftime, he passed Brown for a 67-yard touchdown that he credited largely to his receiver.

“AJ ran a great route,” Hurts said of Brown’s double move. “Got the ball. Let him do the rest.”

The Packers retook the lead, 26-24, on their next possession, and the Eagles offense went three-and-out on their next two series. A review of the film will provide more concrete answers, but Hurts seemed to hold on to the ball too long. His pass protection was solid.

“It felt like Jalen had a lot of time to throw the ball,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said.

» READ MORE: Eagles receive duo AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith deliver in the final phase against Packers

Hurts looked a lot different than he did in camp. Practice is not a game, of course. But after four weeks without throwing an interception until the final practice, Hurts was forcing passes to open receivers in Corinthians Arena.

He tried Smith on a deep post for his first interception, and safety Xavier McKinney waited for the ball. Hurts would have been intercepted in the fourth quarter if Brown hadn’t switched to defender and broken up a pass. He nearly threw a pick-six later, but Keisean Nixon dropped the ball.

And then, on that same drive, with the Eagles leading 31-26, Hurts, after Barkley’s third overall and second rushing touchdown, threw his body into the end zone on third down and was intercepted.

Brown slipped on the play and might have had a chance to stop Jaire Alexander from making the easy catch. But it was another unwise decision by Hurts. Perhaps Moore can take some of the blame for not going to Barkley in that situation. A field goal would have given the Eagles an eight-point lead early in the fourth quarter.

But Hurts needs to protect the ball better. Last season, he had 20 turnovers — 15 interceptions and five fumbles. He nearly lost the ball again on a tush push attempt at the Packers’ 1-yard line that could have sealed the outcome. But Barkley saved the day by jumping on his fumble.

Hurts had moments of success on the ground, racking up some solid yards during the Eagles’ seven-minute drive that essentially decided the final game. But the plus-one quarterback run plays were largely stifled by the Packers.

The Eagles may not need Hurts in the run game with Barkley, but a few quarterback carries could go a long way in creating space for the running back. Moore is still figuring out what’s best for Hurts and Co.

“I keep finding that rhythm with him,” Hurts said of Moore.

A good place to start would be more pre-snap motion. Moore’s offense used motion on 48 of 73 plays (65.8%), their highest rate in a single game since 2020, according to Next Gen Stats. Last season, in Sirianni’s scheme, the Eagles used motion at the lowest rate in the league (35.1%).

Hurts was significantly more effective when a play featured motion, completing 15 of 21 for 212 yards and two touchdowns, according to Next Gen. Without motion, he was 5 of 13 for 66 yards and two interceptions. It seems like a no-brainer to give Hurts more pre-snap intel on defensive coverages.

For a designated home game, the Eagles offense had to deal with a fair amount of crowd noise. The atmosphere felt much more like a Super Bowl with both fans almost divided and casuals in attendance.

The conditions on the field also caused both sides to slip.

“You saw it was pretty tough to get a grip on,” Hurts said. “Definitely a challenge on that field.”

But Hurts made no excuses. He knows he has to be sharper. He knows there will be more blitzes. The Packers, surprisingly given how much the Eagles struggled against the blitz late last season and with the retirement of center Jason Kelce, didn’t test Hurts as much with extra rushers.

Hurts has forced Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to slow down a bit. There had been a lot of talk about the quarterback playing more pre-snap versus the blitz now that Kelce was gone. Hurts should be more “hot,” but that also creates opportunities.

And on his first “hot” read, Hurts quickly threw the ball to his open receiver.

“First hot pitch of the year!!” Kelce tweeted. “Good job bro.”

» READ MORE: Without Jason Kelce, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts will make the O-line protection calls

Hurts went the other way on his next “hot” read, but still completed a first down pass to Brown. He wasn’t perfect, and far from perfect, but one game doesn’t make a season.

“It’s a work in progress,” Hurts said of covering the blitz. “Everything is a work in progress. I know the idea out there. Bring it on. Bring it on and we’ll respond.”

They responded overseas, despite the quarterback’s shaky performances. The new Hurts may have looked like the old Hurts. But there were subtle differences, too. At least the offseason speculation is over.