Davante Adams, Maxx Crosby praise Jimmy Garoppolo's Week 1 performance

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's first start wearing silver and black had its ups and downs, but it culminated with a an eight-yard Garoppolo scramble for a first down to enable the Las Vegas Raiders to run out the clock and defeat the Denver Broncos, 17-16. The victory spoiled Broncos head coach Sean Payton's debut all while making Garoppolo the Raiders' knight in shining armor. 

"It was a special win," Garoppolo said after the game. 

Garoppolo was 20-of-26 passing on the day for 200 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The interception came in the end zone and was a play Garoppolo called a "stupid decision" but noted that's when his "mental toughness kicked in."

How Garoppolo bounced back and turned a 16-10 deficit into a 17-16 lead via a six-yard touchdown pass said a lot about how his teammates view him, including wideout Davante Adams and defensive end Mason Crosby. 

Crosby said, "Jimmy's a dog," while Adams said, "Jimmy's a gamer."

What's unanimous is the Raiders feel Jimmy G. can get the job done. 

"He's a good leader. He's won a lot of games in this league," head coach Josh McDaniels said. "The guys in the locker room know who they have and what this guy can do, how competitive he is. He's a very good leader. He's a great communicator. Just does what it takes to win."

Garoppolo has a career 41-17 record in the regular season, and he's consistently been on winning teams everywhere he's played. Las Vegas might not be any different. 

"It's fun going out there playing with him," Adams said. "The way he commanded the huddle today, his cool, his poise, he threw some dots."

The Raiders finished 6-11 last season, and for Pro Bowl players such as Crosby, who's ferociously competitive and wants to play meaningful games in the postseason, Garoppolo's the right guy to help get them there.

"I'm super excited for him," Crosby said about Garoppolo's Week 1 showing. "I'm happy he's my quarterback."

The Raiders currently lead the AFC West at 1-0. The Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers all suffered defeats to start the season. 

This is the start to the season the Raiders were hoping for in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. Whether they can remain atop the standings remains to be seen. However, there seems to be hope and belief in the Raiders locker room they can win a lot of games with Jimmy G. under center this season.