The Las Vegas Raiders have found renewed life with the combination of rookie interim head coach Antonio Pierce and rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell. The duo have now thrown themselves back into the playoff chase by trouncing their fierce rival in Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
While O’Connell was not necessarily the conduit for their offense’s success, having only thrown for 62 yards on 21 attempts, he did not turn over the football and managed the offense like a veteran. The Raiders ultimately leaned on their heavy run game, churning up over 160 yards on the ground and chewed up the clock against the Chiefs.
#Raiders Aidan O’Connell with a PERFECT throw 🎯pic.twitter.com/3e6r6UYyt2 https://t.co/CrHVu1YmSC
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 25, 2023
The O’Connell era is proving to be one of success in the face of adversity of a new head coach and new offensive system. While this performance wasn’t his best, it followed a performance in which O’Connell showed plenty of promise with four passing touchdowns. It’s a good sign that O’Connell is progressing, and he could ultimately be the long-term answer at the position should they ultimately make it into the playoff race.
