One of the best things to come out of the Week 9 win for the Raiders was the play of Aidan O’Connell. In his second career start, O’Connell looked much more poised in the offense and was able to lead the Raiders on several long scoring drives.
While O’Connell didn’t throw a touchdown, the offense moved incredibly well with him on the field. His accuracy can still be a bit erratic, but it’s clear that he is the quarterback the Raiders need to be starting moving forward.
In a recent article by ESPN, they wrote about O’Connell’s performance in his first career win. Here is what the site had to say about the fourth-round quarterback from Purdue:
The rookie made his regular-season home debut and was more than up to the task. He didn’t have to win the game by himself; he just had to play error-free. In completing 16 of 25 passes for 209 yards without an interception, the fourth-round draft pick, who was named by Pierce as the QB going forward, was confident, comfortable and in control.
Things are about to get a whole lot harder for O’Connell in the upcoming weeks, starting with the Jets on Sunday Night Football. But as long as he plays within himself and doesn’t turn the ball over, the Raiders will have a chance on offense with him under center.
