The latest Jimmy Garoppolo injury update ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders' crucial Week 4 AFC West matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers is positive, despite the fact he is still in concussion protocol.

“The Raiders are optimistic that Jimmy Garoppolo can work his way through concussion protocol and play Sunday vs. the Chargers,” ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Wednesday. “He must clear five steps, including clearance from an independent neurologist, but the belief early in the week is Garoppolo is doing well. Brian Hoyer is in line to start should Garoppolo need more time.”

Garoppolo played all 72 of the Raiders snaps on Sunday in the team’s 23-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, so it is unclear when the concussion happened. The Steelers defense did sack him four times, though, and are credited with eight quarterback hits.

There are two things to note with this Jimmy Garoppolo injury report. One is that in the NFK concussion protocol, a player isn’t cleared until they go through and successfully complete all five steps. That means even if he is trending in the right direction on Wednesday, there is no guarantee that trajectory will continue and he’ll get the go-ahead by Sunday.

Second, if Jimmy G can’t go it is intriguing that Brian Hoyer is the QB that sounds like he will get the start. Hoyer is an incredibly experienced NFL backup. However, he turns 38 two weeks into October, and he’s only played 108 snaps in the last four seasons.

Rookie third-string quarterback Aidan O’Connell, on the other hand, looked promising in the preseason and seems like he deserves a shot if Garoppolo misses a game.