In Las Vegas, More than an hour after the Las Vegas Raiders defeated the New England Patriots 21-17 on Sunday, Jimmy Garoppolo's locker was still crammed with everything he owned.

The Raiders quarterback left the game in a vehicle at halftime to be examined at the hospital for what was said to be a back injury.

Nevertheless, when the Raiders won their third straight game to climb to 3-3, his presence was felt strongly in the locker room. After replacing Garoppolo in the second half, veteran backup Brian Hoyer, who has 15 years of experience, guided the team to win and set up Las Vegas to play the Chicago Bears (1-5) on the road next.

Josh McDaniels, the coach of the Raiders, stated that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had left the stadium but failed to offer an update on his status.

"They're just doing tests," McDaniels stated, "and just making sure they take care of all that stuff."

According to a source who spoke with ESPN's Adam Schefter, "precautionary tests" were really conducted in order to "err on the side of caution."

Even though Hoyer did a good job resulting in the Raiders' offense—he completed 6 of 10 passes for 102 yards, including the team's longest play from scrimmage this season, a 48-yard deep pass to rookie Tre Tucker—the Raiders' loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4 was led by rookie Aidan O'Connell because Garoppolo was sidelined with a concussion.

There are many unanswered questions, and McDaniels wasn't prepared to choose a quarterback for the next game.

"There's a lot of balls up in the air right now relative to Jimmy and that whole situation, and we'll just see -- have a little patience here for ourselves, and see what the report is going to be," McDaniels stated. "Like everyone else, I'm definitely wishing for the best.

"We'll find out more and then, obviously, try to make the best decision we can for the team."

With a 12-yard touchdown throw to Jakobi Meyers and 14 of 22 passes for 162 yards, Garoppolo guided the Raiders to a 13-3 intermission lead. However, he was also intercepted for the sixth time this season when he was hit hard on a slant pass and the ball deflected off Davante Adams.

Although Garoppolo was clearly in discomfort, he continued to play in the game during the Raiders' last possession of the half.

"It is disheartening to witness someone get hurt or experience an injury, particularly a leader in the locker room, but it is an inevitable aspect of the game," stated Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, who amassed a season-high 77 yards of rushes on 25 runs.

"I mean, we're hoping and praying that he can return as soon as possible. However, we hope the next man up is prepared to do the same."

Maxx Crosby, an edge rusher for the Raiders, claimed he was unaware that Garoppolo wouldn't be back until the close of the second half.

With less than two minutes remaining, Crosby shared the game-winning sack for a safety with defensive tackle Bilal Nichols. "For us, as a defence, we talk about it, but we want to be the reason we win the game -- and no matter what, obviously, Jimmy's our brother," Crosby said. "You really do need to go out there and win, but we're praying for him and hoping everything works out. That's all there is to it. We're thrilled about that because we went out there and accomplished that."

Hoyer, who had played his previous three campaigns with New England, was essential to the Raiders' success, though.

even though Raiders supporters did not exactly welcome him with open arms at Allegiant Stadium.

Regarding Hoyer, Jacobs remarked, "It was kind of crazy to hear the fans boo him and s---." However, he blasted them and silenced them when he appeared there.

"I believe he did a great job, dude. He is undoubtedly an experienced quarterback. He entered the game and seemed to be rather composed, and he is well-versed in this system."

Hoyer claimed he had to catch up since he hadn't even taken a picture from centre Andre James in three weeks.

It also helped to play the team he signed with in 2009, for which he has spent portions of eight seasons, particularly on the deep pass to Tucker.

"Having been there, I know that on third downs, they often try to take away your best players, which for us would be Davante and Jakobi," Hoyer remarked. And we were really focused on it."

Hoyer said he trusted Tucker, saw the coverage, and launched the long ball.

Hoyer believed he didn't need to press plays because of the way the Raiders' defence was performing, he added.

Hoyer stated, "You have to be prepared at all times." "It is never certain.

"I'm fifteen years old. I've witnessed almost every scenario, and ultimately, it all boils down to playing football. I have certainly played in this offence for a long time, regardless of the circumstances."

McDaniels shared his thoughts on the QB predicament.

"In general, I hope to see a healthy quarterback room, and I felt Jimmy was doing some good things, obviously, prior to getting hit or twisted."

"So, we'll just patiently see what this is going to be, and we'll make the best decision we can."