He is being groomed as the next starting QB in New England but with his performance Sunday night it could lead the team to consider trading Brady if they want to prioritize their future.
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Yes, Garoppolo played well during the Patriots’ 23-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium, Belichick conceded.
“It was not ideal, but he made a lot of good plays”, Bill Belichick noted. Pass-protect, run-block, and whatever it is, I feel I’m able to do a lot of different things, and each week is going to be different for me.
It was good enough, though, to earn a road victory over a team that went 13-3 a year ago and advanced to the NFC Championship Game.
Head coach Bill Belichick, Patriots players, and Patriots fans should all be feeling very confident after this win. Chandler Catanzaro’s extra point made it 21-20, Arizona.
With the way he performed in one of the most hard tests the Patriots will face all season – not just in the first four games without Tom Brady – it’s a good bet that it won’t be his last. Gostkowski also connected from 47 and 53 yards. The Cards nearly sidestepped the upset – it was the first time since 2003 the Patriots were not favored in the first game of the season – but kicker Chandler Catanzaro pulled his 47-yard field goal attempt left with 36 seconds left. “It is not flawless but he made a lot of good plays”, Bilichick added. “I’m just going to have to move forward”. I believe in what we are doing here. “There was no doubt in this locker room that Jimmy could go out there and play”. It is not often New England gets to play the nobody-picked-us-card.
The snap, from rookie long snapper Kam Canaday, was low. “I wish I could take it back but I can’t”.
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. “We really didn’t play well enough in any phase – from offense to defense to special teams – to win this game, although we did have a chance to win at the end”.
The Patriots won their first game while the rest of the AFC East lost. We were obviously not ready to play. They gave us all we could handle tonight. Regardless of who is in there, they are going to find a way to do whatever they can to win.
Garoppolo had 264 passing yards on 24 of 33 completions with one touchdown and no interception.
Garoppolo said it was easy to stay poised during the game. “But we’ll bounce back”. It was a good test for us. He’s too busy still playing well right now.
Johnson was surprised he didn’t score. The ball was recovered by former Patriot Chandler Jones.
The Patriots got on the board at the 7:34 mark of the first quarter when Jimmy Garoppolo hit Chris Hogan on a 37 yard touchdown pass. Rookie cornerback Brandon Williams was beaten badly for the second time on Garoppolo’s 28-yard pass to the Arizona 8. He didn’t throw a single interception, he completed almost 73 percent of his passes, he threw for a touchdown and he brought his team down the field and into scoring range for what turned out to be the game-winning field goal. A great effort on third down by safety Tyvon Branch to deflect a Garoppolo pass prevented a touchdown. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski sent the 42-yard field goal attempt wide. “They now have three consecutive home games “ winnable matchups against Miami, Houston and Buffalo “ before Brady returns. On a handful of throws Garoppolo was inaccurate and his first half fumble resulted in the first Cardinal points of the night.
“Once you get into it, after the first play or so, it’s just football”.
He finished with eight catches for 81 yards, but had to watch from the sideline as the final play unfolded. He was used in a more conventional way as a deep safety. Earl Watford, a backup at all five positions up front, replaced him.
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The Cardinals, meanwhile, will look to bounce back in another home game against Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who won their season debut against the Atlanta Falcons, 31-24. If you don’t, there’s something wrong.
