Entering Week 4, the Las Vegas Raiders are facing more questions about their playoff chances as they’re coming off a dispiriting loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Raiders have been great in spurts, but after consecutive losses, there’s some real concern that they’ll be missing the postseason again.
Jimmy Garoppolo’s first year in Las Vegas has been met with mixed results as the quarterback has been unable to overcome some tough defenses.
Garoppolo largely struggled against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2 then followed it up with another mediocre performance against the Steelers last week.
The veteran also got roughed up against Pittsburgh as he looked like he injured his ankle, but the worst news was that he was placed in the concussion protocol.
With a pivotal matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on tap, the Raiders will be without Garoppolo who was unable to clear protocol in time via Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Raiders ruled out QB Jimmy Garoppolo for Sunday’s game at the Chargers due to the concussion he suffered vs. the Steelers. Garoppolo practiced in limited fashion Thursday and Friday, but was unable to clear protocol in time for Sunday and is not traveling to Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/0V1eaSJxMn
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 30, 2023
There was some hope that Garoppolo would be able to suit up after getting in practices, but instead Josh McDaniels will have to lean on either Brian Hoyer or Aidan O’Connell as the starter against the Chargers.
This is obviously a blow for Las Vegas who has gotten valuable contributions from Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, but without Garoppolo it stands to reason that the wideouts could struggle.
The odds are stacked against the Raiders and a 1-3 start to the year could spell doomsday.
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