Since drafting Garoppolo, the Patriots had very little idea what they were getting, but they sure found out last Sunday in their season opener against the Cardinals. Last Sunday, Garoppolo made his first career start without three key offensive pieces and he still looked poised, prepared and efficient. He finished 24-of-33 for 264 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions. In spite of that, the Cardinals had a chance to win the game in the final minutes of play but their kicker, Chandler Catanzaro, shanked game winning field goal wide right.
Regardless of the kick, Garoppolo had a great performance and did not encounter multiple struggles that he had in the preseason. For one, he didn’t hold on to the ball too long or get flustered in the pocket during the Cardinals' multiple pressures. Part of that was because the Patriots did not show any regular season plays or game plan in exhibition games. In other words, the Patriots ran simple plays that didn’t involve any game-specific planning. For example, if the Patriots matched up against the Colts they would run the ball 80% of the time and control the line of scrimmage. However, against the Cardinals, Garoppolo had a clean slate and the guidance of Bill Belichick.
The game plan worked perfectly and five minutes into the game Garoppolo hit Chris Hogan for a 37-yard touchdown, giving the Patriots a 7-0 advantage. Also, much like Brady, he led the Patriots on an impressive drive to seal the game with nearly four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Furthermore, from a fans standpoint, the game could not have gone any better on either side of the ball.
For one, a win on the road against a superior Cardinals team, whom the Patriots had no business beating just showed how the next man up philosophy runs through Bill Belichicks veins. Whether it's Garoppolo, Uncle Rico or even me at quarterback, the Patriots will have a chance to be successful week in and week out. Most importantly, the win silenced doubters from the NFL offices all the way down to the fan level. Nearly all of the NFL “experts” chose the Cardinals to win Sunday night, but as always, the Patriot way is the right way. No matter what the outside world says about them the Patriots will show up week in and week out.
Also in case you missed it, the NFL released a video called Sound FX that featured Chandler Jones, a former Patriot. Jones was continually double teamed throughout the game by the Patriots' offensive line but he was able to strip sack Garoppolo early in the fourth quarter. After the sack, Jones went into a dither and kept preaching, “Let’s go Larry!” on the sidelines until the end of the game. Regardless of his astounding effort, the Patriots pulled out the win and they will look to improve on both sides of the ball heading into their home opener against the Dolphins. I just have one more thing to say, we are officially onto the Dolphins! Go Pats!
