Jimmy Garoppolo could be available as a backup quarterback on Thursday night, but the New England Patriots are reportedly planning to start rookie Jacoby Brissett.
Courtney Fallon of NFL Network reports that Brissett will get the start despite being active. The Patriots are said to have confidence that Brissett can run the same offense as Garoppolo after what they saw in the preseason.
I'm being told Jacoby Brissett will start at QB for #Patriots tonight. Jimmy Garoppolo will be active, but dress as his backup, per source.
— Courtney Fallon (@CourtneyFallon_) September 22, 2016
Source close to the #Patriots also tells me they will NOT dial down the offense for Brissett. They feel he has the arm to run the offense.
— Courtney Fallon (@CourtneyFallon_) September 22, 2016
If what Fallon is hearing is accurate, it will be interesting to see how Patriots fans react. Some believe Garoppolo should play through pain if he feels well enough to be active, though it might ultimately be the team’s choice to go with a healthy Brissett instead.
Garoppolo played about as well as you could expect in place of Tom Brady in the first two games of the season. When you read this report about how the Patriots are handling his injury, you have to wonder if there is still an outside chance Garoopolo ends up starting against the Houston Texans.
UPDATE: A report from ESPN’s Mike Reiss directly contradicts this one and claims Garoppolo will be inactive.
