Andrew Buller-Russ
Jimmy Garoppolo played the entirety of the Las Vegas Raiders’ Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it wasn’t his best effort. Garoppolo threw three interceptions while making uncharacteristically reckless decisions.
Shortly after the game concluded, we learned Garoppolo was being evaluated for a concussion, leaving the quarterback unable to speak to the media while undergoing a medical diagnosis.
Now, with less than 24 hours before the Raiders are set to take on the Los Angeles Chargers, Garoppolo has been ruled out due to the concussion.
This comes after the QB returned to practice in a limited fashion on Thursday, which repeated again for Friday’s practice. Yet, the Raiders QB wasn’t able to clear the league’s concussion protocol on Saturday.
There has been no indication whether it will be 15-year vet Brian Hoyer who gets the start, or whether coach josh McDaniels will throw rookie fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell to the dogs for what would be his first NFL start.
It’s worth noting that O’Connell performed well in preseason action, completing 69.3 percent of his passes for 482 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Yet, exhibition play is much different than when competing in the regular season against the best of the best.
No matter who gets the start, they’ll get a chance to feast on a Chargers pass defense that has allowed the most passing yards in the NFL through three weeks.
Related: See where Jimmy Garoppolo lands in Sportsnaut’s NFL QB rankings
