Game Rewind: After months of hearing that they could not beat the Arizona Cardinals to start the season, the depleted Patriots beat the Cardinals 23-21 thanks to a strong performance from Jimmy Garoppolo and the Patriots offensive line.
Here are five thoughts from the game.
1. Jimmy G Played Like a Certified G: Jimmy Garoppolo played well last night completing 24 of 33 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown pass. Garoppolo looked in complete control of the offense and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels did a great job of calling plays that played to his strengths. If Garoppolo plays like this the next three weeks, the Patriots will go 4-0 without Brady.
2. Offensive Balance: I loved McDaniels game plan last night. The Patriots ran the football 31 times and threw it 33 times. That’s as balanced as this team has been in a long time. You’d probably have to go back to the early Brady years to find this kind of balance. The formula worked however so look for more of the same this week against Miami.
3. Turnovers: The Patriots did have three turnovers last night so that was a bit discouraging. They must do a better job of protecting the football. They got away with it last night but they can’t keep putting the ball on the ground like they did last night and think they’ll get away with it.
4. Defense Bends But Doesn’t Break: The Patriots didn’t play terrible last night defensively but they could have played better. They didn’t generate any turnovers and they missed too many tackles. The Patriots need to clean things up defensively and I suspect they will this week. You know Belichick wasn’t happy with the overall performance of this group.
5. O-Line Steps Up: The Patriots started two rookies and two swing tackles along the offensive line last night and won. Rookies Joe Thuney and Ted Karras did a pretty good job inside and Cam Fleming and Marcus Cannon held their own on the edges. Sure, they have to clean up the penalties and do a better job against edge pressure, but overall, Dante Scarnecchia and the offensive staff have to be pleased with the effort of this group.
Featured Image: Ross D. Franklin AP