The New England Patriots have not yet ruled out Jimmy Garoppolo for Thursday night’s game against the Houston Texans, and the quarterback’s status could ultimately come down to pain tolerance.
According to ESPN’s Ed Werder, the Patriots are still hopeful team doctors can get Garoppolo to a point where he is able to play through a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder.
#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
Early reports have ranged from Garoppolo missing just one game to being out as many as six weeks, so we probably won’t get any clarity until Thursday at the earliest. The hit Garoppolo took from Miami Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso certainly looked very painful (video here).
With Tom Brady set to return in Week 5, the Patriots only really need Garoppolo for the next two games. He’ll return to his role as a backup after that.
