Aidan O’Conell: From Starter to Bench? Pierce’s Decision Changes QB Landscape
The Las Vegas Raiders have been dealing with injuries to key players all season, but on Friday, they got a bit of positive injury news.
With just three games remaining this season for the 2-12 Raiders, they are simply looking to get to the finish line without suffering any more injuries. They’ve already lost quarterback Gardner Minshew, running back Zamir White, running back Sincere McCormick and pass rusher Maxx Crosby to season-ending injuries this season, and a couple of weeks ago it seemed as if they were set to lose quarterback Aidan O’Connell.
The second-year quarterback out of Purdue suffered a leg injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14 that saw him carted off of the field with an air cast on his leg. While it looked serious at the time, O’Connell was listed as the team’s emergency quarterback for their Week 15 loss against the Falcons, and seemingly could have played if needed.
In his place, the Raiders turned to former Falcon Desmond Ridder in the 15-9 loss.
On Friday, head coach Antonio Pierce told the media that O’Connell “should be good to go” and expects him to start on Sunday, as confirmed by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Raiders are slated to take on fellow NFL bottom dwellers this weekend, as the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-11) are coming to town. According to Tankathon, the Raiders currently are in a position to secure the No. 1 pick, while the Jags are a few spots behind them, holding the No. 4 spot.
While the Raiders as a team may want to get in the win column and have the perfect chance to do so, a win would also likely bump them out of that top spot. A situation that could see them miss on a franchise quarterback…again.
