New England Patriots 2016 Player Grade: Jacoby Brissett
By Nick Ziegler
One of the biggest surprises for the New England Patriots this season was quarterback Jacoby Brissett. What grade did he receive for his regular season performance?
Coming into the 2016 season, it was hard to expect that we would see quarterback Jacoby Brissett on the field playing meaningful football. However, that was the case for the Patriots.
Due to Tom Brady being suspended for the first four games of the season, Jimmy Garoppolo was scheduled to be the starting quarterback for those four games. As a second round pick in 2014, the Patriots had some faith that Garoppolo would be able to handle the job.
In the first game of the season, Garoppolo was able to lead New England to a win on the road against the Arizona Cardinals. Considering the Cardinals were one of the best teams in the NFC the season before, this was shocking to see.
After beating the Cardinals on the road, Garopppolo put the NFL on notice. In Week 2, Garoppolo and the Patriots were handling the Miami Dolphins. Unfortunately, Garoppolo got hurt and was forced to leave the game. With Garoppolo down, third-string quarterback Jacoby Brissett came in and helped the Patriots finish off the Dolphins.
In Week 3, Brissett made his first career NFL start against the Houston Texans. As a dual-threat, Brissett was able to total 103 passing yards, 48 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown. Even though the stats don’t jump off the page, Brissett was solid and didn’t make any mistakes in the shutout win.
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The following week, the Patriots struggled against the Buffalo Bills in a loss. Brissett totaled 205 passing yards, but the Patriots were shutout by the Bills at home. Overall, Brissett winning a game was a complete surprise and helps his 2016 player grade. Getting a win out of a third-string quarterback was certainly a bonus for the Patriots. In the NFL, every win counts, and Brissett earning one against the Texans was a big deal.