If Deflategate ends up being the impetus for discovering that Jimmy Garoppolo is a really good quarterback, well, I’d love to be there when that realization permeates Goodell’s shield-thick skull. The Patriots defeated the Cardinals 23-21.
Advertisement
But the Patriots needed a little help.
That’s the boat the Arizona Cardinals are in following a disappointing 23-21 loss to the New England Patriots Sunday night at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Arians said his team didn’t execute in all three phases of the game.
New England was anticipating the day that they got their first look at Garoppolo during the season.
Catanzaro, an undrafted kicker in the 2014 NFL Draft who had made 89.1 of field goals in his first two seasons, made no excuses for his performance after the game (via ESPN and the Associated Press).
“Missed assignments”, Arizona inside linebacker Kevin Minter said. Not only is Bill Belichick one of the greatest coaches of all time, he’s one of the greatest GM’s of all time.
“It was a low snap, Drew got it down and [Catanzaro] pulled it”.
Arians wants the Arizona Cardinals not just to win games but teach football to his players.
Garoppolo is only keeping the seat warm until Tom Brady returns from his four-game suspension, but he more than held his own against the Cardinals, completing 24 of 33 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown without an interception. He never seemed rattled. It’s tough to go on the road, and especially to be without some of your best players. The week of preparation, he said, was good.
“There’s a long way to go and regroup and see if we can win the next one”.
According to ESPN’s preseason Football Power Index, the Patriots were expected to win 9.8 games, “about 0.4 fewer games than if Brady was available from the start” per ESPN’s Sharon Katz. “Whoever is out there, we have confidence in one another, and that’s a good thing we have going for us”. “But if things are covered, he’s made good decisions”.
Adam Levin covers the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and New England Patriots. “Injuries are part of the game and people have to step up and I think a lot of guys did that”. We’ve got a lot of work to do.
“We were obviously not ready to play”. And a better snap might have allowed K Chandler Catanzaro to win it. New England converted on 10 of its 16 third down opportunities. Rookie cornerback Brandon Williams was beaten badly for the second time on Garoppolo’s 28-yard pass to the Arizona 8.
A strong eight-yard touchdown run from LeGarrett Blount capped off a five-minute Patriots drive to start the third quarter, putting the Pats up 17-7.
New England had control of the game from the beginning.
On that 45-yard run, Johnson spun away from tacklers at the line of scrimmage, put his hand on the ground to steady himself, then stiff-armed a defender before racing down the field. That set up a pretty over-the-shoulder catch by Fitzgerald, the 100th TD reception of his career. “I thought he played solid”. I imagine Garoppolo will struggle at times over the next three weeks, now that opponents have actual, meaningful film of his tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses. Hopefully it was a defensive lineman and not a linebacker.
Advertisement
It’s probably why Belichick scoffed at the idea that the offense was at all watered down for Garoppolo in his first regular-season start.
