Jimmy Starting On Thursday? Patriots Reportedly Believe There's A Chance
BOSTON (CBS) -- So you're telling us there's a chance.
The roller coaster ride that is Jimmy Garoppolo's injury status took another loopy loop on Tuesday morning, with ESPN's Ed Werder reporting that the Patriots still believe there's a chance the quarterback could start Thursday night against the Houston Texans.
#Patriots still believe there's a chance Jimmy Garappolo can tolerate pain of AC joint sprain and start vs #Texans
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) September 20, 2016
Garoppolo sprained the AC joint in his right shoulder -- his throwing shoulder -- in the second quarter of Sunday's 31-21 win over the Miami Dolphins. The quarterback had picked apart the Dolphins before hitting the ground hard on a Kiko Alonso hit, completing 18 of his 27 pass attempts for 234 yards and three touchdowns.
The reports on Garoppolo's status have been all over the map since the injury, ranging from a six-week recovery to just a few days. The Patriots did not practice on Monday but released a hypothetical injury report, stating that Garoppolo would not have practiced. The team will hit the field on Tuesday for their first and only practice ahead of Thursday night's game.
Jacoby Brissett replaced Garoppolo in Sunday's win, and is in line for his first NFL start if Garoppolo can't go. The team reportedly will not add another quarterback to the roster ahead of Thursday's game, making receiver Julian Edelman Brissett's potential backup if Garoppolo can't go.
But it appears that we won't have a clear-cut answer on Garoppolo's status until inactives are due 90 minutes before kickoff on Thursday night.
Tune in to Thursday's Patriots-Texans game on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV -- the flagship stations of the New England Patriots!