Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo exited with a back injury against the New England Patriots on Sunday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Backup Brian Hoyer took over in the second half after Garoppolo wasn’t on the sidelines with the team when the third quarter started. The team originally ruled him doubtful to return, but he’s now out for the rest of the game.
- Garoppolo played the entire first half, but took a hard hit on the Raiders’ final drive.
- Hoyer, who hadn’t attempted a pass since 2022 with the Patriots, inherited a 13-10 lead after the New England scored on its first drive of the third quarter.
What happened to Garoppolo?
Garoppolo played the entire first half against the Patriots and completed 14 of 22 passes for 162 yards, one touchdown and one interception. On the offense’s final drive of the second quarter, he appeared to be grabbing his back in pain. He never came out of the game, but was evaluated at halftime and hasn’t returned to the sideline. Hoyer is the backup — rookie Aidan O’Connell is the third emergency quarterback — and took over for Garoppolo. — Tashan Reed, Raiders writer
A lengthy injury history
Garoppolo has a lengthy history of injuries. Across his first nine years in the NFL, he played a full season just once. With the Raiders, that’s only continued to be an issue. He had offseason foot injury — he broke his foot while playing with the 49ers last December — and didn’t practice with the team until training camp. Then in Week 3, he suffered a concussion against the Pittsburgh Steelers and missed the following game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Now, he has a back injury. The severity of the latest injury is currently unknown, but it’s obviously not a good sign. — Reed
(Photo: Cooper Neill / Getty Images)
