Raiders’ Jimmy Garoppolo Hyped by NFL Fans as a ‘Winner’ vs. Russell Wilson, Broncos

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

A six-point deficit with seven minutes left on the clock wasn’t enough to faze Jimmy Garoppolo in his Las Vegas Raiders debut.

Garoppolo led a game-winning drive in the final minutes of Sunday’s Week 1 clash with the Denver Broncos to earn the trust of Raiders fans with a 17-16 comeback win.

Although viewers were concerned after Garoppolo appeared to be shaken up following a collision early in the first quarter, the quarterback recovered to connect with Jakobi Meyers for his first passing touchdown in silver and black less than one minute of play time later.

Garoppolo’s resiliency impressed fans who immediately began comparing their new quarterback to nine-year franchise signal-caller Derek Carr.

After touchdown passes from Russell Wilson in the final minute of the first and second quarters, the Broncos headed into the final seven minutes of play with a six-point advantage.

Garoppolo didn’t let that stand for long.

That game-winning drive, and the run for the first down in the critical final minutes, earned Garoppolo praise for his role in grinding out the Raiders’ one-point victory.

Garoppolo finished his 2022 season with the San Francisco 49ers having won seven of his 10 starts, while the Raiders ended the year with a 6-11 overall record. Raiders fans will hope Garoppolo can continue putting Las Vegas in the win column as the team looks to return to the postseason in 2023.