Patriots’ QB Jimmy Garoppolo shines in first NFL game

With Tom Brady sitting things out, Ryan Mallett and rookie quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo were tasked with taking on the Washington Redskins in the New England Patriots preseason opener. And as you expected, Garoppolo was the best quarterback tonight while Mallett struggled to get in a rhythm throughout the night.

Well, that’s not exactly what everyone expected, but it’s an excellent for the Patriots as Garoppolo is expected to be the quarterback of the future post Brady.

In the weeks leading up to tonight’s preseason game, there were many reporting the struggles of Jimmy Garropolo. Out of East Illinois, there were many who questioned the Patriots second round selection, depicting it as a reach and waste of a pick. But tonight, Garoppolo showed a lot of promise on the field, scoring the teams lone points on a touchdown throw to Brian Tymes on a deep pass to the left side of the field.

This pass summed up Garoppolo’s night. Sure he was playing against lesser quality of players in comparison to Ryan Mallett who led the first unit sans several weapons (Amendola, Dobson, Edelman). By the end of the night, Jimmy finished with 157 passing yards on 9-of-13 attempts, a touchdown, and a passer rating of 135.7 a.k.a perfection.

The sample size is small and there are way too many things to consider here when judging Jimmy’s debut performance, but if this is a sign of things to come, the Patriots may be in good hands.