The New England Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins 31-24 with rookie backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett making his unexpected debut for the Patriots.
The New England Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins 31-24 with rookie backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett making his unexpected debut for the Patriots.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo started the game and was locked in, completing 18 of 27 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns.
And then it went from one of his best days to one of his worst.
Garoppolo suffered a right shoulder injury after helping the Patriots take a 24-0 lead. A person familiar with the injury told USA TODAY Sports' Tom Pelissero it was a sprained AC joint and that Garoppolo would be day to day. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of Garoppolo's status.
With Brady suspended and Garoppolo injured, Brissett, the third-round pick from North Carolina State, was forced to take over. Brissett finished 6-9 for 92 passing yards.
Bill Belichick did not have much to say about the quarterback situation in his post-game press conference. He mentioned that Brissett has been a part of this team for quite some time now throughout training camp and has gotten reps.
The 6-4, 235-pounder transferred from the University of Florida and started for the Wolfpack in 2014 and 2015. He was both an effective passer (5,268 passing yards and 43 TDs over those two seasons) and runner (899 rushing yards and nine TDs over the same span), earning honorable mention all-ACC last season.
“I know Jacoby is a rookie but he has been in every meeting, every practice and every session that we could be with him,” Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said before the season.
With Garoppolo out, the Patriots did not have a backup quarterback on the depth chart after Brissett, leaving a big question for the New England offense with the next game in just four days – at home against J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans.
Wide receiver Julian Edelman played quarterback in college for Kent State and would have been a logical decision in the event of another injury.
“We would have done what we thought is best,” Belichick responded to whether or not Edelman would have been the backup for Brissett.
With starter Tom Brady not back until Week 5, New England likely will have to make a trade or turn to a thin free-agent pool to find another passer. Among the prominent quarterback names currently available are Michael Vick, T.J. Yates, Tarvaris Jacksonand Jimmy Clausen.
