In February, the NFL officially announced that the Philadelphia Eagles were one of the teams designated to play in Brazil in Week 1 of the upcoming regular season.
While the league never officially announced Philadelphia’s opponent, Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Maurice Hurst may have accidentally leaked that they will be traveling to Brazil to play the Eagles in Week 1.
Cleveland Browns DT Potentially Accidentally Leaks Week 1 Game in Brazil
In an exclusive interview with Cleveland Browns Daily published on Monday, Hurst mentioned that the Browns are scheduled to play in Brazil next season.
Hurst was asked where he would take his teammates on a team vacation, and he slipped up by mentioning the team’s upcoming trip to Brazil.
“I mean, we’re playing in Brazil this year so we could do a little Rio [de Janeiro] trip out there,” Hurst said.
The hosts of the show did little to end the discussion about Brazil after Hurst’s comments, which is interesting considering that it’s a show on the team’s official YouTube channel. A clip of Hurst’s potential leak is already going viral on social media.
While the NFL could officially announce that the Browns are the other team in the Brazil game soon, they have not done so just yet. The league office likely isn’t pleased by this unfortunate slip-up from Hurst.
Previewing Week 1’s Possible Matchup Between Philadelphia Eagles and Browns in Brazil
Over the last five seasons, the Eagles have landed some favorable matchups in Week 1. Their opening-week opponent in each of the last five seasons had a losing record the previous season.
Therefore, Cleveland will be Philadelphia’s first Week 1 opponent coming off a winning record since 2018 against the Atlanta Falcons. After a ton of changes this offseason, the Eagles will be put to the test early in the regular season.
It’s worth noting that Philadelphia was scheduled to have nine home games this upcoming season while Cleveland was scheduled to have nine road games. Therefore, this neutral site game balances out both team’s regular season schedules.
Cleveland will obviously be looking to build on its impressive 11-6 finish to the regular season last year. Despite all of the injuries they dealt with at quarterback, the Browns were able to persevere.
Now they might be looking to assert their dominance against the Eagles in Brazil to open the regular season in 2024. If it comes to fruition, it will surely be an exciting matchup between Philadelphia’s loaded offense and Cleveland’s dominant defense in Week 1.
Update: Maurice Hurst Responds to Quote — ‘I’m Not a Trusted Source’
As Hurst’s quote continues to gain traction on social media, Cleveland’s defensive tackle took to social media on Monday night to clear up his words.
“I’m not a trusted source,” Hurst said. “I just read an article like everyone else and have mistaken it for fact.”
Hurst is referring to Peter King’s article from February, where the since-retired legendary journalist mentioned the likelihood of Cleveland playing Philadelphia in Brazil during Week 1 of the upcoming regular season.
KEEP READING: When Is the NFL Brazil Game? Commissioner Reveals Surprising Friday Night Kickoff and Home Team
“Feeling good about Cleveland-Philadelphia in Brazil on the evening of Friday, Sept. 6,” King said.
Brad Stainbrook of the Orange and Brown Report also reported that Cleveland isn’t aware of any Week 1 game in Brazil, at this time. While this could just be damage control after an unfortunate leak, it is certainly worth monitoring.
While nothing has been officially announced by the NFL yet, it seems like this is a potential matchup to watch for in Week 1. There seems to be a lot of smoke surrounding a game involving the Browns and Eagles in Brazil next season.
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