The Patriots beat the Dolphins on Sunday despite a shoulder injury to quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and they don’t have much time before getting back on the field for Week Three.
The Texans will be in town on Thursday night, leaving the Patriots with a need to make a quick call on whether Garoppolo can start or serve as the backup to Jacoby Brissett in that game. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels says that’s just what they’ll do.
Appearing on “Kirk and Callahan” on WEEI Monday, McDaniels said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, that the team will make their decision Monday about Garoppolo’s status. According to multiple reports, Garoppolo suffered a sprained AC joint and he was in “tremendous pain” Sunday evening so it would seem likely that they’ll be looking in other directions.
If Garoppolo can’t play, the Patriots will need to figure out a backup plan for Brissett. Julian Edelman served as the emergency quarterback on Sunday, but they may want someone else in the event that things take a turn for the worse again on Thursday. There’s not too much to like about the free agent options, but the Pats know they’ll be getting more help at the position in two weeks.