Patriots vs. Cardinals: Score and Twitter Reaction for ‘Sunday Night Football’

In his first career NFL start, Jimmy Garoppolo looked every bit the part of a starting quarterback for one of the league’s best teams as he guided the New England Patriots to a 23-21 Week 1 road win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday Night Football.

Down 21-20 in the fourth quarter, Garoppolo engineered a 13-play, 61-yard drive that ended in a 32-yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal with less than four minutes left in the contest. The Cardinals had a chance to win the game with 41 seconds remaining, but a bad snap messed up the timing for kicker Chandler Catanzaro, whose 47-yard field-goal attempt went wide left. 

With Tom Brady serving the first of a four-game suspension, tight end Rob Gronkowski out with a hamstring injury and several other starters nursing injuries, the Patriots came into the game as relatively heavy underdogs, an unfamiliar position for the marquee franchise.

CBS Sports’ Will Brinson noted this was probably not a great idea by the oddsmakers:

Maybe don’t spot Bill Belichick a touchdown when he has an entire offseason to prepare. Pretty good lesson there.

— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) September 12, 2016

All eyes were on Garoppolo, who had the added pressure of dealing with a hostile University of Phoenix Stadium crowd and the scrutiny of a nationally televised game. 

The Eastern Illinois product looked cool and composed from the start, consistently taking what the Cardinals defense would give him and making crisp, accurate throws. He went 24-of-33 for 264 yards and one touchdown in the contest, which compared favorably to veteran Carson Palmer, who went 24-of-37 for 271 yards and two scores.

Boston.com’s Chad Finn joked that the Minnesota Vikings might come calling for Garoppolo after his impressive debut: 

Vikings might trade their next eight first-rounders for Garoppolo if you call them right now.

— Chad Finn (@GlobeChadFinn) September 12, 2016

Julian Edelman emerged as Garoppolo’s favorite target, reeling in seven catches for 66 yards. The underneath routes were there for most of the night, and Edelman was the main beneficiary.

Larry Fitzgerald was the star of the show for Arizona, recording eight catches for 81 yards and two scores, the 99th and 100th receiving touchdowns of his brilliant career. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Fitzgerald became just the 10th player in NFL history to reach that milestone. Earlier on Sunday, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport reported 2016 might be Fitzgerald’s last season in the NFL.

ESPN’s Michael Wilbon felt the Cardinals …

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