New England Patriots

How Jimmy Garoppolo’s first career start compared to Tom Brady’s

Brady was the same age as Garoppolo when he made his first start on September 30, 2001.

Jimmy Garoppolo, left, and Tom Brady take the field. Charles Krupa / AP

By Hayden Bird

1 minute to read

In the first start of his NFL career Sunday night, Jimmy Garoppolo exceeded expectations in helping the Patriots achieve an upset win against the Arizona Cardinals in the team’s season opener. The 23-21 victory saw Garoppolo do more than “game management,” as he completed several critical passes to put New England in a position to notch an unexpected win on the road against difficult opposition.

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His final stats were impressive: Garoppolo completed 72.7 percent of his passes with no interceptions:

Naturally, the comparisons will be made between Garoppolo’s first career start in the NFL and that of the man he’s currently filling in for. Tom Brady was the same age as Garoppolo when he made his first start on September 30, 2001. Both were 24-years-old.

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And like Garoppolo, each quarterback helped to orchestrate an upset win. In Brady’s case, the (then) backup led his 11.5 point underdog team against Peyton Manning’s Colts. In front of more than 60,000 fans at Foxboro Stadium, Brady and the Patriots dismantled the Colts, winning 44-13.

Here’s a quick glance at the two stat lines from both Brady and Garoppolo’s debuts:

Brady: 13/23 for 168 yards (79.6 rating) in a 44-13 win against the Colts.

Garoppolo: 24/33 for 264 yards with one touchdown pass (106.1 rating) in a 23-21 win against the Cardinals.

Inevitably, these comparisons are inexact, given the difference of eras. For example, NFL teams averaged 205.8 yards passing per game in 2001. The game has evolved slightly since then, as week one teams in 2016 have so far averaged 248.7 yards passing per game. And in 2015 (over a full season), teams still averaged far more than 2001 (243.8 yards passing per game).

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Either way, Patriots fans will be happy with what they saw from Garoppolo, as he showcased the same ability to coax the best from his team that Brady has always displayed in his career. Whether Garoppolo can replicate this ability with the kind of consistency Brady has shown for years remains to be seen.

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