Raiders News: Jimmy Garoppolo Won’t Play Vs. Bears With Back Injury

Corey Hansford
Corey Hansford
3 Min Read
Sep 17, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) on the sidelines during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The biggest concern when the Las Vegas Raiders signed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a three-year contract this offseason was his injury history. While Garoppolo has delivered more often than not when on the field, too often, ailments have kept him on the sideline, and unfortunately, that is already turning out to be the case this season.

Garoppolo was knocked out of the Raiders’ Week 6 victory over the New England Patriots with a back injury, having to be taken to a hospital. Veteran Brian Hoyer stepped in to help lead the Raiders to victory, and with Garoppolo not practicing this week, it seemed unlikely he would be suiting up this Sunday.

That has now been confirmed as the Raiders announced Garoppolo will not suit up on Sunday when the Raiders hit the road to take on the Chicago Bears, via Adam Schefter of ESPN:

With Garoppolo not having practiced this week, things seemed to be leaning toward this way already, so this news doesn’t come as much of a surprise. This will be the second game Garoppolo will miss, as he also sat out the Raiders’ Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers with a concussion.

The discussion now turns towards who will start in his place. It was the veteran Hoyer who stepped in on Sunday and acquitted himself well in the second half. However, rookie Aidan O’Connell got the nod the last time Garoppolo had to sit out, and the team had the entire week to prepare without him.

The latest rumors sound as if that will again be the case with O’Connell getting the nod. It seems as if the Raiders trust the veteran Hoyer to step in on short notice in the middle of a game but prefer O’Connell if they have the entire week to build a game plan around what the rookie is comfortable with.

Either way, this is a huge contest for the Raiders, who now find themselves at 3-3 after two straight wins. The team obviously wants to keep the momentum going and have a great chance to do so against a Bears team that is also without their starting quarterback. Tyson Bagent will be under center for Chicago as Justin Fields suffered a dislocated thumb, so both teams will be trotting out backups in a game the Raiders absolutely need to win.

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Corey Hansford is the Senior Editor for Lakers Nation, as well as a contributor for Dodger Blue, Rams News Wire, and Raiders News Wire. He is a passionate follower of the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chelsea FC, and the UFC. He can usually be seen arguing the merits of Kobe Bryant or cursing the decisions of Jerry Jones. He is also a former producer and associate producer for Sirius XM Sports Radio on both the Fantasy Sports Channel and College Sports Nation. Proud graduate of Long Beach Poly High School and The Real HU, Howard University, with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. Follow him on all social media outlets at @TheeCoreyH.