The Las Vegas Raiders will be without starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for their Week 7 game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. And it has still not been announced who will start in his place, a decision that will seemingly come very soon from head coach Josh McDaniels.
Garoppolo was ruled out for the game on Thursday after it was determined that his back injury suffered in Week 6 was simply too much to overcome. That leaves rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell and veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer as the candidates to start in his place.
O’Connell received a start earlier this year when Garoppolo was forced to miss a Week 4 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Most fans presume that he gives the Raiders much more upside at the position than Hoyer, but McDaniels has yet to make a decision on whether he will receive his second NFL start. And we now know that this decision could come in a matter of hours.
According to The Athletic’s Tashan Reed, McDaniels said that the team will make a decision on who the starter is on Sunday after their practice concludes on Friday.
#Raiders HC Josh McDaniels said they'll make a decision on whether to start Brian Hoyer or Aidan O'Connell after practice today
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) October 20, 2023
Fans offered their opinion on who they believe should start on social media.
https://twitter.com/_tmecham/status/1715423941362131003
Will be good indicator of what he really thought about O’Connell’s performance vs. Chargers.
Does Hoyer give Raiders best chance to win? https://t.co/l4rqDBij5T— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) October 20, 2023
They already know who’s starting https://t.co/FWEdP3ovQm
— RICH (@RRICH1990) October 20, 2023
Who got all the 1st team reps this week because if they split them up whoever starts will be underprepared https://t.co/HtP1EgORyV
— ErikOzman (@ErikOzman) October 20, 2023
I bet it’s Hoyer https://t.co/LZxRMv0RlF
— mobbDeepak (@Sohi23) October 20, 2023
There are some obvious positives and negatives to starting the rookie quarterback in O’Connell. O’Connell actually looked very composed at times in Week 4, but did have a costly turnover in the final minute of the game that cost the team dearly, leading to a loss.
Hoyer would give the team a veteran presence that may be less prone to turning the ball over. But at 38 years of age, it’s fair to question how much he has left in the tank as an NFL quarterback.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.