Raiders at Broncos 2023 Week 1: Studs and Duds
Jimmy Garoppolo - Stud
Jimmy Garoppolo was dangerously close to becoming our "big dud" of the week. After marching the Raiders' offense down the field with a chance to tie the game or take the lead at 13–10, he orchestrated a horrendous sequence of plays down at the goal line. On one play, he fumbled the exchange from Andre James and nearly turned it over to the Denver defense.
Eager to make up for his mistake, he made an even worse mistake by throwing a duck into a sea of defenders, which was easily deflected and intercepted by Denver.
Thankfully for Jimmy, the Raiders' defense stiffened on the ensuing drive and held Denver to a field goal, keeping the game within one score. It was on the next couple of drives where Garoppolo earned his stud award for the week as he led the Raiders on the go-ahead touchdown drive with a decisive strike to Jakobi Meyers.
After yet another impressive stop by the defense, Garoppolo and the offense got the ball back with the chance to ice the game with a couple of first downs. Thanks to a combination of Josh Jacobs, a nice find by Jimmy on third down, and the benefit of a penalty by the Denver defense, the Raiders found themselves on the Denver 30 with a chance to end the game.
On third and seven, Garoppolo dropped back, and after scanning the field for a few seconds, he took off and sealed the game with an 8-yard scramble. It was exactly the type of play that he has become known for making, and it was exactly what the Raiders needed to end the game.
The final numbers for Garoppolo are unspectacular, but he was efficient, going 20-26 for 200 yards and two touchdowns. Aside from the terrible goal-line interception, he played a clean game and distributed the ball to his top targets. He faces a tough test next week against a Bills defense on the road, but one thing Jimmy will never lose is his confidence.