FOXBORO — Over the last month, Jimmy Garoppolo has felt a wide range of emotions.

Ebbs and flows are natural in the NFL, but it's been quite the roller coaster ride so far this season for the third-year quarterback. A month ago, Garoppolo started in Week Two against the Miami Dolphins, perhaps his last start of this season.

Garoppolo proved he deserves chance to lead an NFL team and says he’s a better player thanks to the two starts to open the season.

"I feel a lot better," Garoppolo told The Providence Journal. "That experience, that game experience, you can’t mimic that in practice. You do the best you can, but actually getting out there and bullets flying, the red jersey is off. Things change. It was a good experience and it helped prove some things."

Garoppolo is under contract through next year, but the Patriots' decision to keep or trade him will be one to watch once the 2016 season ends. His performance through two games (one and a half really) proved plenty about his mindset, makeup and skills.

He completed 70 percent of his passes (42-of-60) for 496 yards and four touchdowns. Garoppolo didn’t throw a single interception. Even after leaving the Miami game early with a shoulder injury, Garoppolo entered Week Four sitting second in the NFL in quarterback rating and completion percentage.

Even more impressive than the statistics is that Garoppolo replaced Tom Brady without letting the pressure get to him. That task alone was as challenging as reading an opposing defense. Throughout training camp and the first two weeks of the season, Garoppolo handled the situation (Brady’s four-game Deflategate suspension) smoothly.

By the time he got on the field in Arizona, in Week One, a rush of emotions came over him. He was happy to get back to playing football.

"Once I got on the field, Arizona especially, once I got out there it was like all the crap was over with," Garoppolo said. "It was finally time to just play football. I wouldn’t say it was relieving, but there was excitement. A ton of emotion going on. It was one of those feelings that once you got out there, it was just time to play now. All the [bull crap] is over with."

Arizona currently sits seventh in the NFL in passing defense. Opposing quarterbacks have a 65.8 quarterback rating (second lowest in the NFL) when throwing against the Cardinals. Garoppolo finished in Arizona with 264 yards, a touchdown and a 106.1 quarterback rating.

The performance had Garoppolo confident heading into the next game against the Dolphins.

"Obviously Week Two is always going to be better after you get that experience of actually playing," Garoppolo said. "It was a good experience. Week Two was going smooth and then we hit a bump in the road."

Garoppolo was dominant against Miami in his first start in Gillette Stadium. He was 18-for-27 for 234 yards and three touchdowns with a quarterback rating of 130.8 through one and half quarters. That’s when his opportunity ended due to a sprained AC joint, courtesy of a hit by Kiko Alonso.

The injury cost him two more starts until Brady came back.

"It was tough. ... I’ve never been hurt and had to miss games before," Garoppolo said. "It was a weird experience. I don’t wish that upon anyone, but it’s part of the game. It’s part of football. It’s a violent game. You’ve just got to move on from it."

With a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers up next, Garoppolo can’t help but feel sympathy for Steelers backup quarterback Landry Jones, who will start in place of an injured Ben Roethlisberger this weekend.

A starting quarterback is perhaps the most coveted job in football. With only 32 teams, it takes a special player to hold down the job. In 5½ quarters, Garoppolo showed he deserves the opportunity.

"I really haven’t [thought about it]," Garoppolo said. "For the most part, I don’t really listen to the media to begin with so that really helps. People tell me things from time to time, but it’s all hearsay or ‘this guy said this or that.’ You never know what’s going to happen."