FOXBOROUGH -- Sometime after he finished watching Tom Brady torch the Texans for 378 yards and five touchdowns, Jimmy Garoppolo caught a glimpse of Jacoby Brissett's stat line out in Indianapolis.

A career-high 259 yards with one touchdown through the air and two more on the ground (one of which was of the Sportscenter Top 10 variety).

"He hit that 'B' button," Garoppolo said of Brissett's spin move. "That's good ol' 'Cobes for you. It's awesome."

Garoppolo was "fired up" for Brissett, who has done a fine job as the Colts' starting quarterback these past two games. The Indy Star's Gregg Doyel went as far to say that Brissett has saved the Colts' season, which was headed for disaster with Scott Tolzien as the understudy to Andrew Luck. While that may be an overstatement, Brissett has at least provided some semblance of competent quarterback play. He has thrown for 475 yards and rushed for 36 more in his two games as the starter.

It has been a rapid transition for Brissett, who less than a month ago was third in line behind Brady and Garoppolo. On roster cutdown day, the Patriots traded Brissett to Indianapolis for wide receiver Phillip Dorsett.

Garoppolo actually found out about the trade before Brissett did.

Garoppolo was informed when he returned from practice to the locker room. Brissett came into the locker room "maybe a minute later," Garoppolo said, and learned of the deal. And then he was off to Indy.

"It happened so quickly; he's packing and leaving before we're even in meetings," Garoppolo said Friday. "It's a weird time of year at the end of training camp. You lose people you get close with, and that's part of the business."

Garoppolo finds himself in tough spot for at least one more year. He must watch from the sideline as a 40-year-old Tom Brady shows absolutely zero signs of regression; Brady's average of 364 yards per game is far and away the highest in the league. Arizona's Carson Palmer is second with an average of 308. And Garoppolo is now watching Brissett -- once his backup -- operate as a starting quarterback.

If Garoppolo is becoming antsy, it's understandable.

"I think everything has a way of working itself out," Garoppolo said. "I don't know, everything will work itself out in the long run. It's just, you've got to be patient and wait for your opportunity."

A free agent after this season, Garoppolo figures to become a starting quarterback elsewhere in 2018 or play on the franchise tag -- worth north of $20 million -- as Tom Brady's backup.

All things considered, it's not the worst spot to be in.