Raiders Utilizing the Arm of Their Rookie Quarterback

The Las Vegas Raiders aired it out on Thursday night, and it paid off in their 63-21 rout of the Los Angeles Chargers.

One of the benefits of having a rookie quarterback is this lack of years he has on his arm.

For weeks, the Las Vegas Raiders tried to take advantage of that fortune with their rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell, but they had not been very successful.

On Thursday night, it was a different story, as O'Connell let it go, throwing four touchdown passes of at least 10 yards, three of which were from 20 or more.

"Really, like I've been saying, every week, that's the plan," Raiders Interim Coach Antonio Pierce told our Hondo S. Carpenter after the Raiders' 63-21 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night. "It's just -- a young quarterback has to let it go, and then tonight, he did. Second play of the game -- boom, he took a shot. 

"Yeah, it wasn't completed, but that kind of set the tone and you could see what we were going to do the rest of the game. And then obviously, there were more opportunities later in the game. But listen, we've got a lot of skilled players, and it just takes confidence, man. 

"I wish we could just have done it Day 1. I wish we could just draw it up and it's that easy, but obviously, it took us six games to do it, and hopefully that's a part of us going forward the rest of the season."

The Las Vegas Raiders aired it out on Thursday, and it paid off in their 63-21 rout of the Los Angeles Chargers / © Stephen R. Sylvanie | 2023 Dec 14

O'Connell said the success with the long ball can sometimes just be a matter of taking advantage of what the defense gives you.

"I think sometimes, the stars just align," the rookie quarterback said. "And Tre's [Tucker] first touchdown -- it was just, really a perfect play call. The look that we wanted was the one we got. 

"And so, [Offensive Coordinator] Bo [Hardegree] did a great job of working hard to try to get that look and calling the play at the right time. And so, like I said, it's a group effort. 

"Bo called a great play, the offensive line protected, Tre did a great job and the rest of the guys did as well. So, it's fun when everything comes together like that."

The Silver and Black will return to action versus their AFC West rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs, on Christmas Day at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Don't miss it on Monday, December 25, at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST.

Please tell us your thoughts when you like our Facebook Page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.