The Patriots were without QB Tom Brady, or TE Rob Gronkowski, or LT Nate Solder, or RT Sebastian Vollmer, or RB Dion Lewis, or ED Rob Ninkovich, and RG Shaq Mason was playing while hurt. Every analyst, insider out their covering the National Football League had New England losing this game, and not just by a small margin, they were given no chance.
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If the idea of the Patriots picking Garoppolo over Brady sounds nuts, ask yourself this: When was the last time Bill Belichick picked loyalty over what’s best for the team?
New England, a five-point underdog, took the lead on its first possession and scored again to start the second half.
Tom Brady’s first weekend of his four-game Deflategate suspension, according to the Patriots quarterback, wasn’t all that bad.
“This is awesome”, Hogan told reporters after the game. I dont even have words to express what this probably means to the whole team.
“He doesn’t hang on to the ball, he gets it out of there on time, but if things are covered then he has made good decisions in and out of the pocket on those extended plays”. “I am really proud of our guys, really happy for them”. “We were just able to make a couple more plays than the Cardinals were tonight”.
The Cardinals’ defense failed to stop New England on 10-of-16 third downs, and had trouble defending back-up quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo despite knowing what was coming.
If the Patriots want to keep Garoppolo, the 2017 season could be Brady’s last in New England.
Larry Fitzgerald caught eight passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to the New England Patriots Sunday night, leading many Arizona Cardinals fans to wonder why the 33-year-old is planning on retiring after the season.
The Cardinals took a tough pill Sunday night. The note of expectations for this O-line wasn’t a thing Sunday night because their were none. It was good to see guys come up and do that and see it transition from the practice field to the game. The run defense was solid for the most part as well, as they were able to contain LeGarrette Blount for the most part. Players who contributed to this offensive line include Marcus Cannon, Cameron Fleming, Ted Karras, David Andrews, and Joe Thuney. Their first look at Garoppolo is in the books, but it will not be their last. At halftime, he was 10/16 passing, 133 yards, touchdown, with 106 yards in the first quarter. The man has been committed to this Patriots offense since walking off (literally) the field as a Pittsburgh Steeler back in 2014.
The question in the first quarter was who is DT Vincent Valentine? Football games are often impacted by luck. Not only is Bill Belichick one of the greatest coaches of all time, he’s one of the greatest GM’s of all time. The game wasn’t too big for him.
The game ended with Dallas in position for a roughly 57-yard field goal, but Terrance Williams didn’t get out of bounds after a catch and the clock ran out.
“We didn’t make enough plays and the Patriots did, that one’s definitely going to sting at home”, Campbell said.
Any time you lose the opener at home, it hurts, he said.
That play loomed especially large when the Cardinals drove for a potential game-winning field goal only to have Chandler Catanzaro miss wide left (following a low snap from Kameron Canaday ) from 47 yards away. Not a chance. Would I have been more comfortable with the situation and confident the Patriots were going to pull out the win if Brady was playing.
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“I don’t know what I’m having for dinner tonight let alone what I am doing next year”, Fitzgerald said.
