FOXBORO — Surrounded by backups on the offensive line and the skill positions Thursday night, Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo wasn’t equipped with the same arsenal he’d have at his disposal in an emergency regular-season scenario.
So it was important to focus on Garoppolo’s fundamentals in the Pats’ 22-11 preseason-opening loss to the Packers at Gillette Stadium. Garoppolo stood behind backups at left tackle, center and right tackle while relying on an array of receivers who might not make the initial 53-man roster out of camp.
Garoppolo was 20 of 30 for 159 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in nine drives, and he was strong when spreading the wealth and concentrating on methodically moving the chains rather than bombing the ball down the field.