New England Patriots upset Arizona Cardinals: Likes and dislikes from Week 1

The New England Patriots pulled off a huge upset of the Arizona Cardinals last night. There were things about the win we liked, and things about the win we weren’t so keen on.

Let’s start with the likes from the Week 1 Patriots win.

LIKE: Jimmy Garoppolo

Everyone is talking about Jimmy Garoppolo this morning, so let’s start the conversation with him. His stat line was as clean as a whistle: 73 percent completion percentage, 264 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions. The one knock on Garoppolo’s night was a lost fumble (more on that later).

What was most impressive about Garoppolo was his calmness. Clearly, the Eastern Illinois product had done his due diligence preparing for this showdown. He made his reads, worked through his progressions and delivered throws with good timing. Garoppolo never got happy feet in the pocket, maintaining his poise and finding the right receiver.

This was no easy task, stepping in for a quarterback who had started the previous decade and a half of Patriots openers. Garoppolo did great.

Next: New pass catchers