A day after Jimmy Garoppolo was taken to a hospital to be examined for internal injuries, coach Josh McDaniels said the Las Vegas Raiders received encouraging news on his injured back.

"It seems like we dodged a bullet in that regard, so that's good news," McDaniels said Monday. "We're still doing a couple of things this morning, and we'll make sure we do all the right things here as we go forward. But the prognosis is a lot better than it might otherwise have been."

Garoppolo exited Sunday's 21-17 win over the New England Patriots with a back injury and was taken by ambulance to be evaluated.

McDaniels said there's still more to "uncover," but it appears he avoided a serious injury.

 

#Raiders coach Josh McDaniels tells reporters that on QB Jimmy Garoppolo (back), they dodged a bullet.

"The prognosis is a lot better than it might otherwise have been."

Sounds like if he misses time, it won't be much more than this week.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 16, 2023

The Raiders visit the Chicago Bears on Sunday, and McDaniels said the team is unsure if he'll be able to play.

Journeyman backup Brian Hoyer replaced Garoppolo on Sunday, and was 6 of 10 for 102 yards.

When Garoppolo missed Las Vegas' Week 4 game against the Los Angeles Chargers because of a concussion, rookie Aidan O'Connell got the start, completing 24-of-39 passes for 238 yards. However, he also threw an interception, lost two fumbles and was sacked seven times in a 24-17 loss.

Since that defeat, the Raiders have won two in a row to even their record at 3-3.