Most sportswriters had said that while Tom Brady was suspended the Patriots would be lucky to win two out of the four games they play until his suspension is over. None of those writers and critics thought the Patriots would win in the season opener, playing away against Arizona. Well, one day later, and the Patriots walk into week two undefeated.
Both quarterbacks played well, with Jimmy Garoppolo throwing for 264 yards and one touchdown, while Carson Palmer threw 271 yards and two touchdowns, both to Larry Fitzgerald. David Johnson rumbled for 89 yards on the ground and one touchdown for Arizona, while LaGarrette Blount was able to rush for 70 yards and one touchdown. The Cardinals missed what could have been a game winning field goal, with kicker Chandler Catanzaro kicking the ball wide left after a bad snap from Cardinals’ rookie long snapper Kameron Canaday.
What it Means
While the final score is awfully close, with the Patriots sneaking by with a 23-21 victory, the game should have never been as close as it was. The Patriots lost two out of three fumbles, the first two leading to touchdowns that Arizona scored. If the Patriots had been able to at least get two field goals on those drives instead of turning the ball over, the last second come back by Arizona would have never happened.
The offense line looked very good against a stout Arizona defensive line, which includes the likes of former Patriot Chandler Jones. With Josh Kline and Bryan Stork both being cut in the offseason, and Nate Solder out, it seemed as if they took three steps back instead of one step forward. It wasn’t perfect, but it was much better than when they played against Denver in the AFC championship game.
It was a close, back and forth game between two very good teams that kept you on your seat until the very end. New England might just be able to go 4 and 0 with Jimmy G at the helm, but that is purely just speculation.
Stat of the Game
The Patriots usually struggle when it comes to moving the chains on third down. Against Arizona, they looked almost unstoppable. Garoppolo completed 8 out of 10 passes on third down. This lead to a total of 107 yards and a pickup of 7 first downs. Altogether, the team was able to convert 10 of 16 third downs, leading to a 62 percent conversion rate. To compare, Arizona was able to convert 6 of 12 third downs, which is only 50 percent.
Bonus Stat: Jimmy G had stats throwing, rushing, and even receiving! Most impressive of all, he didn’t catch a fly flicker or something out of the wildcat. He was able to catch his own deflected pass. Go look it up on the internet, it’s a hell of a play.
Unsung Heroes
Devin McCourty didn’t only take less money to stay with New England, and he didn’t only just restructure his contract to save 2.8 million in cap space; he also went off in week one against Arizona. McCourty as all over the field, racking up 8 tackles and one assist. On the offensive side of things, it has to be Martellus Bennet. Bennet has never been known as a blocking tight end, but last night he was able to hold off Chandler Jones and helped keep Jimmy G safe for most of the night. While his 3 receptions for 14 yards weren’t ground breaking, Bennet filled a giant hole left by one super star tight end who was unable to play.
Noteworthy
With so many players out injured or suspended, like Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Rob Ninkovich, and Dion Lewis, the Patriots' underdog win is impressive. Some predictions had the Patriots losing by as much as twelve points. Clearly, predictions are not always accurate.
What's Next
The Patriots play their home season opener and their first AFC East game against the Miami Dolphins at 1 PM Eastern Standard Time. The game will be available either on your local CBS affiliate or can be streamed through NFL Sunday Ticket.
