After missing the entire week of practices, Aidan O’Connell tested out his knee injury prior to the Raiders’ Monday Night game against the Falcons. The team deemed him not healthy enough to go and he won’t play.
Making the start in his place will be Desmond Ridder, who, as it happens, faces the team with which he started 17 games over the past two seasons.
Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce is a former player. He spent his final five seasons in the NFL in the division rival (Giants) of the team he played with his first NFL seasons (Washington). Then in his first game as Raiders interim head coach last season, he faced the team with which he won a Super Bowl. So he knows what it’s like facing his former team
“Yeah, you’ve got to take the emotional part out of it,” Pierce said of Ridder facing his former team. “It’s not Desmond [Ridder] versus the Atlanta Falcons. It’s the Raiders versus the Atlanta Falcons, and he understands that. Listen, just do your job as a quarterback. We don’t need you to be Superman and go out there and win it by yourself. It’s a team sport. Understand what we’re trying to do with the game plan . . . But more importantly, don’t make it an individual matchup. That’s in your past. You’ve moved on, got a great opportunity here. Worry about that.”
Ridder was a third round pick by the Falcons. And this offseason they signed Kirk Cousins to a big contract and drafted Michael Penix Jr with the No. 8 overall pick, making Ridder expendable. He then signed onto the Cardinals practice squad and was later signed by the Raiders.
