The New England Patriots might trot out current starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo Thursday night against the Houston Texans.
Garoppolo suffered a shoulder injury Sunday in a win against the Miami Dolphins. It looked as if Jacoby Brissett would handle the starting duties Thursday, but the injury to Garoppolo might not be as terrible as initially feared.
ESPN’s Ed Werder shared the report:
#Patriots still believe there’s a chance Jimmy Garappolo can tolerate pain of AC joint sprain and start vs #Texans
— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) September 20, 2016
It is great new for the Patriots because Garoppolo has looked solid through two wins, tossing four touchdowns with no interceptions and upending a quality foe in the Arizona Cardinals.
New England would love a conference win against Houston, so if Garoppolo can get out there and manage a win, it provides a huge boon for a team getting Tom Brady back after Week 4.
While there is a further injury risk to Garoppolo, this is not a normal situation where the team or player will shelve him until he makes a full recovery. Getting wins now before handing things over to Brady is great for both parties in the long term, so it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise if Garoppolo takes the field on a short week with an injury.
Or, as always, Bill Belichick could just be playing mind games.