Poll: Who Will Start At Quarterback For Patriots In Week 4 Vs. Bills?

The New England Patriots have 10 days between their Week 3 win over the Houston Texans and their Week 4 matchup with the Buffalo Bills. They might need every single one of them to sort out their quarterback situation.

A source told WEEI’s Mike Petraglia on Friday — one day after the Patriots beat the Texans 27-0 — that rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett suffered a torn right thumb ligament. It’s unclear how serious the injury is or if Brissett will need surgery, but the news adds another QB question to a team already facing uncertainty as Jimmy Garoppolo deals with a Grade 2 AC joint sprain. Tom Brady, of course, is out one more week as he serves his four-game Deflategate suspension.

Basically, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will play quarterback next Sunday against Rex Ryan and the Bills. Garoppolo suffered his shoulder injury in Week 2, and recovery typically takes two to four weeks, though it’s still possible he could return in time for Week 4. Brissett’s availability, meanwhile, is completely up in the air, given the limited information available as of Friday afternoon. The rookie might play. He might not. The Patriots could have two quarterbacks. They could have zero quarterbacks.

Wide receiver Julian Edelman is the next man up if neither Brissett nor Garoppolo is able to play against Buffalo. Of course, that’s not an ideal situation, though, so the Patriots probably would add a quarterback at some point before then. Then again, you never know. New England played Thursday night with only one healthy quarterback (Brissett).

The Patriots did their due diligence on two quarterbacks this week (T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree), so perhaps one of them will take the reins in Week 4. The only certainty right now, however, is that Brady won’t be available. He’s slated to return in Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns.