Who Are the Raiders' Options at Quarterback Without Jimmy Garoppolo?

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's injury presents a tricky question for Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.

According to several reports, Garoppolo will not play this week because of a back injury he suffered in the Raiders' win last week against the New England Patriots. After the game, McDaniels confirmed reports that Garoppolo left the stadium in an ambulance and went to a hospital for evaluation.

Garoppolo didn't practice on Wednesday or Thursday, according to the team's official injury report.

The absence of their first-string quarterback leaves McDaniels with a choice between experience and youth for Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears.

The Raiders have relied on both so far this season. Brian Hoyer replaced Garoppolo against the Patriots, completing 6 of 10 passes for 102 yards in relief.

Hoyer is a steady professional who knows the league well, having played with eight different teams. But in his 15th season, the 38-year-old has started just three games in the last six seasons, with no wins to show for it.

Hoyer started the 2017 season as the starter for the San Francisco 49ers, but was replaced in Week 6 by rookie C. J. Beathard. In late October that year, the 49ers released Hoyer after trading for the player he filled in for this past Sunday: Garoppolo.

For the youth option, the Raiders could go with rookie Aiden O'Connell. The Purdue product started for an injured Garoppolo against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4. As expected for a rookie, there was a mix of good and bad. He completed 24 of 39 passes for 238 yards and a rushing touchdown. O'Connell also threw an interception and lost a fumble.

O'Connell was inactive in every game other than his start. However, the rookie signal-caller did see lots of action during the preseason. Garoppolo entered training camp with a foot injury that required surgery earlier in the year.

Garoppolo injury update

McDaniels told reporters on Monday that Garoppolo was fortunate there wasn't any internal damage after the injury.

"There was some concern yesterday that it was an internal issue. So we did a bunch of scans yesterday, last night," McDaniels said during Monday's press conference. "Seems like we dodged a big bullet in that regard. That's good news. We're still doing a couple of things this morning, and we'll make sure we do all the right things here as we go forward. The prognosis is a lot better than it might have otherwise been."

Bears' Quarterback Injury

The Raiders are also likely to face a backup quarterback against the Bears. Justin Fields has yet to be ruled out as he deals with a thumb injury, but head coach Matt Eberfus said the team was "doubtful" the quarterback would play.

"It still comes down to the grip strength, where he is later in the week," Eberflus said Wednesday via the team website. "We'll see. Right now, he's working with the trainers and that's progressing well. We'll see where it is."

If Fields can't go, undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent will get the start.