he Chicago Bears were working under the assumption rookie Tyson Bagent would start at quarterback with Justin Fields injured.
The Las Vegas Raiders weren't quite as sure who would be behind center for them. Jimmy Garoppolo is out, meaning veteran Brian Hoyer or rookie Aidan O’Connell will get the call.
Be prepared for a heavy dose of backups when the Bears host the Raiders on Sunday after both starters left games last week.
Fields dislocated his right thumb when he was sacked early in the third quarter against Minnesota. Chicago (1-5) lost for the 15th time in 16 games, falling 19-13 to the Vikings. Garoppolo missed the second half of a 21-17 win over New England with a back injury.
Bagent, who went undrafted last spring after a record-setting career at Division II Shepherd University in West Virginia, is ready for his opportunity. He said he and his dad, Travis, had a feeling early on that he would play in the NFL. But he wasn't sure he would get a chance to start again after his final college game.
Bagent took over for Fields last week and completed 10 of 14 passes for 83 yards in his debut. He ran for a 1-yard touchdown. But he also committed two turnovers.
In college, Bagent put up huge numbers.
He set the NCAA’s all-division record with 159 career touchdown passes, and finished with more completions (1,400) and yards passing (17,034) than any other Division II quarterback. In 2021, he won the Harlon Hill Trophy, Division II’s equivalent of the Heisman.
As for the Raiders, Hoyer came off the bench last week to throw for 102 yards on 6-of-10 passing. O'Connell, a rookie from Purdue, started in a Week 4 loss at the Los Angeles Chargers when Garoppolo was sidelined with a concussion. He completed 24 of 39 passes for 238 yards, but lost two fumbles, threw an interception and was sacked seven times.
Chicago's Cody Whitehair has started all 113 games he has played in over eight seasons, be it at left guard or center, and has a Pro Bowl selection on his resume.
But after struggling with snaps last week in a move back to center from left guard, he could be in a backup role. Coach Matt Eberflus hinted at changes this week, saying, “We’re working through those things right now.”
Whitehair was penciled in as the starting center this year, only to move to left guard when Teven Jenkins suffered a leg injury a few weeks before the opener. Jenkins returned last week and Whitehair was back at center. But he got benched in favor of Lucas Patrick in the second half after several bad snaps.
Game time is noon Sunday.
