Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is in concussion protocol, putting his status in question for Sunday, when Las Vegas visits the Los Angeles Chargers. Garoppolo was injured in Sunday night’s home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Coach Josh McDaniels said Monday that he didn’t know when the injury occurred, but Garoppolo took several hits in getting sacked four times and his head bounced off the turf on one play in the fourth quarter. Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was flagged for roughing the quarterback.
If Garoppolo can’t play, the Raiders will go with 15-year veteran Brian Hoyer or rookie Aidan O’Connell. McDaniels said the discussions haven’t yet started on which QB to select, saying the decision will be what’s the “best thing for the team.”
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“We’ll be hard at work having to manage that situation the best we can as it progresses,” McDaniels said.
Injuries have been a problem for Garoppolo. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in San Francisco’s third game of the 2018 season, and in 2020 he missed eight games with ankle injuries. He did appear in two NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl with the 49ers.
The Raiders signed Garoppolo in the offseason. McDaniels and Garoppolo have a history back to when both were with the Patriots, McDaniels as offensive coordinator and Garoppolo as Tom Brady’s backup.
Garoppolo has struggled to find his footing for the 1-2 Raiders, having tossed a league-high six interceptions, including three against the Steelers.
Like Garoppolo, Hoyer and McDaniels share a Patriots background. The Raiders drafted O’Connell in the fourth round out of Purdue.
Emergency stop for Steelers
The Steelers’ charter flight home from Las Vegas made an emergency landing in Kansas City early Monday.
A team spokesman posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that “everyone on the plane is safe and we are making necessary plans to arrive back in Pittsburgh later today.”
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KDKA-TV, which had two journalists on the team plane, reported the plane was dealing with an oil pressure failure in one of the engines.
Veteran defensive tackle Cam Heyward had a little fun with the situation, joking on X with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and pop star Taylor Swift that the team needed a ride to Pittsburgh. Swift attended Kansas City’s blowout victory over Chicago as a guest of Kelce’s.
Mahomes able to shake it off
Patrick Mahomes tweaked his ankle against the Bears but apparently was able to shake it off. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Monday that he expected his quarterback to be a little “stiff,” but does not anticipate any problems heading into practice this week . . . Los Angeles Chargers star wide receiver Mike Williams will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in Sunday’s win over the Minnesota Vikings . . . New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen couldn’t say how soon quarterback Derek Carr (shoulder) might return after being injured in a loss to the Green Bay Packers, describing his status as “week to week.” . . . Miami Dolphins receiver River Cracraft suffered a shoulder injury in a blowout of the Denver Broncos and was undergoing tests to determine how long he will be out.