As many know by now, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been suspended for the first four games of the regular season.

Many fans have been very uneasy about the lack of presence of “the GOAT,” and whether or not Jimmy Garoppolo will be able to step up and fill Tom’s shoes.

The Patriots have spent months, even the last year and a half, preparing for the idea of four games without Brady. They have a solid game plan.

The worst case-scenario would have been opening with a Week 1 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Issues could arise with injuries over the course of the season, like Rob Ninkovich who is already suspended, as well as Jamie Collins, Dont’a Hightower, and Malcolm Butler who could miss at least a game or two at some point.

Best-case scenario was that Garoppolo pulls an upset and wins against the Cardinals. The following three games would be at home, where Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett have the whole NFL talking about Pats head coach Bill Belichick’s latest adjustments to his offense. Division victories over the Bills and Dolphins would help boost the Pats’ odds, and a Week 4 victory would create just enough hope for Brady to come back and take over.

Thankfully, the latter of the two options occurred. The Pats won against the opener against the Cardinals, 23-21, upsetting many doubters.

According to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), without Brady, the Patriots were projected to go 2-2 in the first month. The crucial first win more than tripled the odds of going 4-0 without Brady, jumping from eight to 26 percent.

The Pats’ 31-24 victory over the Miami Dolphins improved their record to 2-0, but the Patriots didn’t escape without injury trouble.

Those odds of going 4-0 may have taken a hit after Garoppolo left the Miami game in the first half after taking a big hit.

Garoppolo, who at the time of the injury had thrown for 234 yards with 3 touchdowns, suffered a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder, and reports have varied – some have him out six weeks, some say the injury isn’t too severe.

Diehard Pats fan and AIC senior Josh Weintraub talks about how he has high hopes for Garoppolo.

“At first, I had a feeling that we were still going to do decent without Brady,” Weintraub says. “After the first game, I had full confidence that we will go at least 3-1, if not 4-0 in the first month. If we can win with Gronkowski being injured, and Brady suspended, we can definitely do more than survive the next three games.”

Looking forward, the Patriots seem to have a huge home-field advantage for the next few games. This obviously does not mean that they cannot slack off until Brady comes back.

Off the field, professionalism is something Pats fans can always appreciate.

Traditionally, Brady has never revealed much during his weekly press conferences. Garoppolo is seeming to follow in his very modest footsteps, conducting his own media conference with “Brady-like precision,” according to ESPN.

When asked at a press conference if he was planning on pumping up the crowd at Gillette Stadium for the first three home games, Garoppolo smiled respectfully, simply saying, “we’ll see on Sunday.”

AIC Senior Jillian Bedard, describes how she admires her humble team, both on and off the field.

“I have always been very impressed with how Tom Brady handles himself during press conferences,” Bedard says. “There’s no need to give out too much information, and I was excited to see how Jimmy Garoppolo managed his meeting with similar standards to Brady. I am looking forward to seeing how not only Garoppolo, but the entire Patriots team, continues to survive successfully without Brady.”

Now, it’ll be interesting to see how the team survives without Garoppolo if his injury turns out to be serious enough to keep him out until Brady’s return.