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

LIKE: Protection of Jimmy G

Garoppolo had some help from his offensive line last night, which is noteworthy because the starting five was a rag tag bunch to say the least. The unit wasn’t perfect, but they deserve credit for limiting the fierce Arizona pass rush to just two sacks in the contest.

At the guard spots, draft picks Joe Thuney and Ted Karras locked it down. Thuney played like a seasoned veteran all training camp and has been a projected starter for some time now, but Karras was a surprise injection into the starting lineup with Jonathan Cooper being held out.

On the edges, Marcus Cannon and Cameron Fleming exceeded expectations. Fleming was matched up against former teammate Chandler Jones all night, but he held his own, limiting the ferocious pass rusher to just one sack.

If this makeshift offensive line can hold up under such harsh conditions in Week 1, imagine what they will look like with Nate Solder and Cooper in the lineup.

Next: Dislikes