The Raiders have fallen victim to some of the worst quarterback play in the NFL this year, and the team’s quarterback situation seemed to reach rock bottom last week heading into their ‘Black Friday’ showdown with the Chiefs.
Gardner Minshew went down in week 12 with a broken collarbone and Aidan O’Connell had missed the last four weeks with a fractured thumb.
Nevertheless, the Raiders were competitive with the Chiefs last week and might have won the game if not for a botched snap in the final seconds of the game.
Equally as surprising in the game was the play of O’Connell. Despite his thumb not being at 100 percent, O’Connell turned in one of the best games of his short career.
He is not as mobile as Gardner Minshew, but O’Connell was decisive and accurate on Friday against the Chiefs, and it was something the CBS broadcast crew pointed out during the game.
“It sure helps when your quarterback can make a few throws,” Kirk Herbstreit said during the game’s second quarter. “That’s been a difference. Getting a quarterback that can get the ball downfield and be decisive. Not back there holding on to it.”
For what it’s worth, Herbstreit was much harder on Minshew than head coach Antonio Pierce has been in recent days.
Last week, Pierce was asked for his thoughts on the rest of the AFC West, and he answered by circling back to the play of his own quarterbacks, which was mostly a reference to Minshew.
“Quarterback play. Bottom line. quarterback play,” Pierce said. “Last night [we faced] a rookie quarterback and we were bringing the house at him. Very first play of the game we came after him. At the end of the game, we was coming after him. The did never flinched. [He] didn’t blink. You watch Patrick Mahomes there yesterday… it’s 27-27, he’s running the ball like he’s running out of bounds, steps up and goes another 20 yards. And then you look at Justin Herbert. The quarterback play with the other three teams, to me, is the biggest difference.”
Looking ahead, O’Connell is starting to feel like a viable long-term option for the Raiders at quarterback. He still has a lot to prove, but the next five weeks could go a long way toward re-shaping the Raiders’ quarterback situation going into the draft.
x: @raidersbeat
AOC has had 4 OC’s. And he’s essentially still a rookie. With a terrible OL and a problem putting the most talent on the field u less injuries dictate it. Leave Sincere in there. He anticipates holes better than anyone we have. Aiden will get better as long as the line,running game and play calling stays fresh.
If only I had faith in the Raiders player development and shouting teams to be able to pick a QB for the future!
They should have stuck with him in the first place in his rookie first season he won at least five games so that’s pretty impressive they didn’t give him a chance to improve it was a waste
It was not the fault of the QBs it was the horrible defense. The chiefs sucked for 3 games and still won
If O’Connell has not proven himself by now, he never will. Stick with him.
Go ahead and draft a QB if they want one and let him sit for a year behind Aiden in 2025. I’ve heard Brady say that this is view on how to treat a rookie QB. Let them sit, develop and learn how it’s done in the NFL. Exactly how Brady was treated.
Or, roll with Aiden in 2025 and don’t draft a QB and then gather all the cap money saved and coming. We should have around $300 mil in cap space to build out the team. Then draft a QB I. 2026 if it doesn’t work with Aiden.