The Patriots are down to their third-string quarterback.
After tearing apart the Dolphins for three touchdowns on his first three offensive series on Sunday, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo went down in the second quarter with an injury to his shoulder. Garoppolo, who's filling in for the suspended Tom Brady, took a hit to his left shoulder and landed hard on his right.
He failed to get up and trainers rushed onto the field, as a clearly concerned Bill Belichick looked on.
The Patriots quickly confirmed that Garoppolo suffered a shoulder injury, though they didn't specify which one. After initially announcing that he was questionable to return, the Patriots downgraded his status to out. According to CBS sideline reporter Jamie Erdahl, Garoppolo's injury is to his throwing shoulder.
He appeared to be in pain.
Though Garoppolo won't return, he'll finish with an impressive stat line: 18 of 27 for 234 yards and three touchdowns. The Patriots entered halftime with a 24-3 lead, so they should still be able to finish off the Dolphins for their second win of the season. But the concerning part about his injury is that the Patriots still have two more games without Brady, one against the Texans (a playoff team a year ago) and another against the Bills. Both of those games will be played in New England.
The Patriots' backup quarterback is Jacoby Brissett, a third-round pick this year. He entered the game immediately after Garoppolo exited the field.
Behind Brissett is, well, no one. If Brissett also goes down, the Patriots' emergency quarterback could end up being receiver Julian Edelman, who played quarterback at Kent State.
