Brian Hoyer to start for Raiders at Chicago on Sunday

Raiders quarterback Brian Hoyer will start on Sunday against the Bears.

With Jimmy Garoppolo injured, Hoyer will get the start at Chicago, according to multiple reports. Officially, Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels has refused to say whether Hoyer or rookie Aidan O’Connell will start in place of Garoppolo.

When Garoppolo missed the Raiders’ Week Four game against the Chargers, it was O’Connell who started. But since then Hoyer has moved ahead of O’Connell on the depth chart: When Garoppolo exited last week’s game against the Patriots, McDaniels sent Hoyer in to replace him. Hoyer played well in limited action in that game, and that apparently solidified McDaniels’ belief that Hoyer gives his team the best chance to win.

If McDaniels were looking to build the Raiders for the future, starting the rookie O’Connell over the 38-year-old Hoyer would make sense. But McDaniels is prioritizing winning now for the 3-3 Raiders, and the Bears, who are starting rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent in place of the injured Justin Fields, are a very beatable opponent.

This will be Hoyer’s first start as a Raider and the 41st start of his career, for the eighth different team: Hoyer has previously started one game for the Cardinals, 16 for the Browns, nine for the Texans, five for the Bears, six for the 49ers, one for the Colts and two for the Patriots.

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