NFL analyst likens Jimmy Garoppolo’s Raiders to Eli Manning’s Super Bowl-winning Giants
Jimmy Garoppolo has had a rough go of it in recent years. It seemed that once he was able to get the team to the Super Bowl, that the franchise and the quarterback could rest easy for a while at the position. Instead, the injury bug got him and fans know what happened from there.
However, at least one NFL analyst, Mike Garafolo sees potential for a Super Bowl squad to emerge out of what was near the bottom of the AFC West. Here's how he put it:
"I go back to a team that I covered that a lot of people were not expecting anything was the 2007 Giants. Now you can look back and say, 'You're gonna compare the Raiders to a Super Bowl team?' Nobody thought the Giants were a Super Bowl team coming into that season, but they had four [quality] pass rushers up front..."
He went on to name who he was speaking about:
"Maxx Crosby, Tyree Wilson... and Chandler Jones [are] looking to have a bounce back season. How can the Raiders beat expectations this season...? Those guys have got to play out of their minds. When you do that, now you cover up some [other] things that aren't as complete."
Jimmy Garoppolo's Raiders stare down mammoth-sized obstacles on path to Super Bowl
The path to the biggest game in American sports is fraught with danger and it looks especially daunting for the franchise this year. The first problem is in the division. Patrick Mahomes has reached at least the AFC Championship in every year since he took over as the starter in 2018.
Meaning, if the Raiders want to get to the Super Bowl, they'll need to stare down Patrick Mahomes not only in the regular season, but also in the postseason as well. In addition, the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos appear to be reloaded and in position to at least put up a decent amount of resistance.
The other big obstacle comes from within Jimmy Garoppolo's team. Josh McDaniels is still looking for his first winning record as head coach. This will be his fourth season in the position in his career between his work for the Raiders and Denver Broncos, and he has yet to supplant that bar.
Assuming the team can do both of those things, they'll need Jimmy Garoppolo to stay healthy, which has been more than he's proven able in three of the last five seasons. In other words, the franchise has their work cut out for them.
If any of the above quotes are used, please credit Good Morning Football and H/T Sportskeeda.