Just as the football world was getting to know Jimmy Garoppolo, the New England Patriots’ third-year quarterback with the matinee-idol looks (maybe an animated idol, but still) who started the team’s first two games of the season with Tom Brady serving his four-game suspension, it’s time to learn about a different young Patriots QB. Assuming Garoppolo’s injury is as serious as it looks, Blount will be very important in the Patriot offense as they take on the Houston Texans Thursday night.
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According to reports, X-rays came back negative, so Garoppolo doesn’t have any broken bones.
On the kickoff after New England went up 21-0 in the opening minutes of the second quarter, Kenyan Drake tried to return it out of the end zone and slipped, setting up a three-and-out from deep in the Dolphins’ territory.
It was a game that offered enough positives in the first half that the team was allowed mistakes in the second half- and the second half was poor enough that Belichick will rip the team to shreds to make them better. A collective panic may have been sweeping through the stadium and the fan base, but the sight of Brissett in the huddle didn’t shake up the players. He went to a knee as the training staff worked on him and grimaced when his shoulder was touched inside his shoulder pad. Edelman, who played quarterback in college at Kent State and threw a touchdown pass in a 2015 playoff game, would likely be used in an emergency if something happened to Brissett. It’s awful. It’s unfortunate.
“The offensive line played wonderful … they opened up a lot of big holes for me to run through”.
-Wide receiver Markus Wheaton was among the Pittsburgh Steelers’ inactives on Sunday and missed his second consecutive game with a shoulder injury.
Against Miami, Garoppolo completed 18 of 27 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns.
Brissett made his National Football League debut and was 0 of 2 – both passes to Edelman seemed catchable – before a Stephen Gostkowski field ended the first half. WR Julian Edelman brought the Patriots to the 9 yard line and RB LeGarrette Blount bulldozed his way for a score to give the Patriots a 31-3 lead.
“We’ll do whatever we think is best for the team”, Belichick said after the game.
But the Patriots’ defense made it interesting.
-Tight end Rob Gronkowski and linebacker Dont’a Hightower were both missing from the New England lineup when the Patriots hosted the Dolphins. Martellus Bennett also had five catches 114 and a touchdown. He averaged almost 4.4 yards per carry on New England’s final drive of the game despite the fact that everyone in the stadium knew the Patriots were going to run the ball. On 29 carries, Blount totaled 123 yards, and one touchdown.
It was the Patriots’ eighth straight home victory over Miami (0-2).
Ravens 25, Broncos 20 • Joe Flacco threw two TD passes to Mike Wallace and visiting Baltimore rallied from a 20-0 first-quarter deficit to win.
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Blount gained a significant amount of his yards on sweeps to the left, led by rookie guard Joe Thuney and tackle Nate Solder, who returned to the lineup for the first time since last October 11 when he suffered a season-ending arm injury. “That (stuff) is over”. But the Panthers lost running back Jonathan Stewart to a hamstring injury early in the game. Former Redskins running back Alfred Morris supplied the decisive touchdown run.
