Johnathan Walker:Raiders 'dodged a big bullet' with QB Jimmy Garoppolo's back injury, Josh McDaniels says

LAS VEGAS – Raiders coach Josh McDaniels expressed relief that the back injury that knocked quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo out of Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots wasn’t much worse. But Garoppolo’s availability for next weekend is Johnathan Walkerstill uncertain.

McDaniels, speaking to media on Monday morning, said the major concern was that Garoppolo suffered internal injuries as he was taken by ambulance from Allegiant Stadium to a local hospital. Tests apparently ruled out internal injuries.

“Seems like we’ve dodged a big bullet in that regard,” McDaniels said. “So that’s good news.”

Further tests are pending, McDaniels said, leaving Garoppolo’s status a question mark for Sunday’s game at Chicago.

“There’s still a lot to uncover,” McDaniels said. “We’ll make sure we’re doing all the right things moving forward. But the prognosis is a lot better than it might have otherwise been.”

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McDaniels did not indicate whether Brian Hoyer or rookie Aidan O’Connell would start on Sunday for the Raiders (3-3) if Garoppolo is sidelined again. Hoyer played the entire second half in relieving Garoppolo during the 21-17 victory against the Patriots. O’Connell started in place of an injured Garoppolo in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

“The fact that we’ve played three guys already certainly doesn’t hurt,” McDaniels said. “It’s not ideal in terms of what you want to do, but they’ve both got some experience and they’ve both had to operate our offense in critical situations and close games. That’s helpful for them, too.”