After nine seasons, the Derek Carr era in Las Vegas officially came to an end. The Raiders decided to move on from their long-time franchise quarterback this offseason and replaced him with NFL veteran Jimmy Garoppolo. In his Raiders debut, Garoppolo impressed his teammates en route to a Week 1 victory over the Denver Broncos.
The Raiders defeated their divisional rival Denver Broncos on the road in a tight 17-16 victory to kick off their 2023 regular season. Garoppolo was efficient while leading a fourth-quarter comeback against the Broncos, completing 20 of his 26 pass attempts for 200 yards, adding two touchdowns and an interception.
Garoppolo made his most impressive play of the game with his legs in the final minutes of the game when it mattered most. The Raiders needed one first down to seal the game and on third-and-seven the Raiders dialed up a passing play, but no one was open.
Instead of throwing the ball away and giving the Broncos a chance to drive down the field and win the game with a field goal, Garoppolo took matters into his own hands. On a broken play, Garoppolo scrambled to gain eight yards and secure a first down, clinching the game heroically.
The gritty effort and determination caught the attention of several Raiders players, including All-Pro running back Josh Jacobs. “Man he’s a dog,” said Jacobs. “Any quarterback that’s willing to take a hit in a big moment to secure a win got my respect,” Jacobs added.
It didn’t take long for Garoppolo to earn the respect of his peers in the Raiders locker room. He will look to carry that momentum into Week 2 when the Raiders travel to Buffalo to face the Bills.
