Despite not having Tom Brady, the New England Patriots went on the road in Week 1 to defeat an Arizona Cardinals team that reached the NFC Championship Game last season.

Jimmy Garoppolo played well in Brady's absence as the strength of Bill Belichick's system became evident yet again.

“I don't think about who’s out there playing,” Julian Edelman said. “That’s not my job. You know Belichick: ‘Ignore the noise. Don’t believe the hype.’” There’s little doubt he’s succeeded. Walking around the locker room Sunday night, you couldn’t find anyone giddy, or overly surprised, by what happened here. Train the mind, and the body will follow—as long as the body is good enough, and unselfish enough."

“That’s one of the differences here,” Chris Long said. “Team-first guys. To gather all team-first guys, I’m telling you, it’s hard to do. But they do it here. It matters. Jimmy’s one of those. It’s a next man up thing, and he can handle it.”