In an rather unexpected turn of events, the New England Patriots will trot out quarterback Jacoby Brissett, not Jimmy Garoppolo, for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills.
Earlier reports made it sound like Garoppolo would get the nod while Tom Brady serves the final game of his suspension.
After a limited week of practice thanks to injury, the Patriots will turn to Brissett on an injured thumb to get the job done in an AFC East encounter, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter:
Jacoby Brissett to start, league source tells ESPN. https://t.co/zBNr9QhnAV
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 2, 2016
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport provided interesting context:
#Patriots QB Jacoby Brissett still has a thumb issue. He’s OK today, but once Tom Brady returns, he may have a procedure to fix it.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 2, 2016
It’s a tough spot for Brissett, who has to deal with a Bills team that shocked the Arizona Cardinals a week ago. He has 195 yards on a 60.7 completion percentage in limited action this year, meaning Sunday will likely continue to look like the LeGarrette Blount show for the Patriots.
No matter what happens Sunday, Brissett and Garoppolo have done their jobs in admirable fashion with the team at a 3-0 mark one game away from Brady’s return.
