New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo suffered an AC joint injury against the Miami Dolphins and there are multiple reports floating around. Here’s what we know:
1. The Patriots believe it will take roughly six weeks for Garoppolo to be fully healed, per the Herald’s Jeff Howe.
2. The Patriots are not expecting Garoppolo to be available this Thursday against the Houston Texans, per Howe.
3. Despite not being fully healed, the Patriots believe Garoppolo could return and play in week 4 against the Bills, per CSNNE’s Tom Curran.
4. The Patriots are now of the opinion that Garoppolo’s injury is of the day-to-day variety, per CBS’s Jason La Canfora.
Quarterbacks suffer AC joint injuries more than any other position in the NFL, per this Northwestern University study, with the average injury forcing quarterbacks out for 17 days, or a little more than two weeks.
NFL quarterbacks suffer this injury on an annual basis, with players like Ben Roethlisberger and Blake Bortles suffering the injury and not missing any time. It all comes down to pain management.
Of course, CSNNE’s Mike Giardi says that sources close to Garoppolo have never seen him in this much pain. Hopefully a good night’s rest and some medical care will get him healthy and ready as soon as possible.
For now, it looks like the Patriots dodged a big issue and will hopefully only need to stay afloat for one week with rookie Jacoby Brissett before Garoppolo is able to take the field.