Raiders’ Jimmy Garoppolo won’t play Sunday against Bears

With Jimmy Garoppolo out for Sunday’s game at Chicago, the Raiders face an uncertain quarterback situation for the second time in less than a month.

Garoppolo suffered a back injury in Sunday’s win over the Patriots, leaving backups Brian Hoyer and Aidan O’Connell to split first-team reps this week in practice.

“There’s a few balls in the air right now that we’re going to have to sort through, for sure,” coach Josh McDaniels said.

Athe forefront is the critical decision at quarterback for the Bears game and possibly beyond.

Is it Hoyer, who played admirably in relief of Garoppolo against the Patriots? Or do they turn back to O’Connell, who started for an injured Garoppolo in Week 4 against the Chargers and improved as the game unfolded?

It doesn’t make for an ideal situation either way for a team that just won its second straight game to improve to 3-3 and is in the middle of the most favorable part of its schedule.

But it also isn’t unusual given how volatile the quarterback position is becoming. Six weeks into the season, 54 quarterbacks have thrown at least one pass, and 42 have attempted at least 10.

That list includes Hoyer (10 attempts) and O’Connell (39).

Hence the urgency of both taking advantage of every opportunity to be prepared to play, whether as the in-game replacement or the starter, as is the case for Sunday.

“That’s what both our guys do on a weekly basis, whether it’s Aidan or Brian,” offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi said. “You go in there and say, ‘I’m going to make sure in every quarterback meeting, I’m thinking like the starter. I’m going through my reads in practice like the starter, whether it’s a mental rep or a physical rep.’ And really you don’t get the live reps, if you will, in practice because that goes to the starter, and there’s so many limited reps. But you can get those mentally, and you can get those throughout meetings and (film).”

The Raiders knew what they were getting into when they signed the oft-injured Garoppolo to a four-year contract in March. Since taking over as the 49ers’ starting quarterback in 2018, he has played just one full season. He missed 13 games in 2018, 10 in 2020, one in 2021 and five in 2022. He also was sidelined for the 2022 postseason.

True to form, injuries have sidelined him for six quarters in the Raiders’ first six games. He missed the Chargers game because of a concussion, then didn’t play in the second half Sunday.

The Raiders hope both cases are isolated situations, but Garoppolo’s injury history suggests that probably won’t be the case. That puts a lot of stress on Hoyer and O’Connell to be ready on a moment’s notice.

“It’s the hardest job in sports to be the backup quarterback and to be going in the game and not knowing, not having a feel and then all of a sudden you’re playing,” Lombardi said. “I thought Brian did a good job of that coming out of halftime and executing the offense.”

Now comes Sunday and the decision between Hoyer and O’Connell. McDaniels has said he will choose the quarterback whom he thinks will give the team the best chance to win.

But it puts him in a precarious situation. The Bears are a beatable team, whether or not quarterback Justin Fields plays. He suffered a broken thumb in Sunday’s game and probably will miss this game.

Does McDaniels go with the more reliable veteran in Hoyer or give the rookie O’Connell another chance to show what he can do?

This is a crucial stretch for the Raiders. It’s way too early to talk about the playoffs, but the next four weeks could determine whether they have a realistic shot to extend their season.

Of their next four games, three are against teams that have combined for five wins — the 1-5 Bears and home games against the 1-5 Giants and 3-3 Jets. Their fourth game is against the NFC North-leading Lions (5-1).

Both quarterbacks say they will be ready for whatever McDaniels decides.

“Every week is its own situation, and you try to handle it the best you can,” Hoyer said. “Whether it’s the first snap, second half, the fourth quarter, you never know what it’s going to be. It’s the role I’m here for.”

Said O’Connell, on whether the experience against the Chargers helps: “You’d hope, but it’s also a different scheme, a different team.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow@VinnyBonsignore on X.