Despite Short Week, Raiders Not Rushing QB Decision
Las Vegas Raiders Interim Coach Antonio Pierce and his coaching staff have a big decision to make going into Thursday night's game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
When Pierce took over the helm after Week 8, he declared that rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell would be the starter over veteran Jimmy Garoppolo going forward. But that might not last all the way through the season.
While O'Connell has had some fair performances since stepping into his new starting role, the young quarterback out of Purdue has struggled as of late, especially in the Raiders' 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
O'Connell recorded only 171 passing yards and threw an interception late in the game that all but sealed the game for Minnesota.
Fortunately for the Raiders, while Garoppolo had turned in poor outings himself before being benched, the two-time Super Bowl champion is still a well-experienced veteran who has played on the games biggest stages. Perhaps his number should be called again.
As of Monday, though, no decision had been made.
"I'm still evaluating and we're going through that process now," Pierce told reporters Monday. "We'll see how the week goes."
While the Raiders have little time to make their decision, Pierce is in no hurry to do so.
"We'll just go through the process," he said. "Not going to rush to make any decision. We will not do anything emotional based off what I read here, what anybody's telling me. I'll go off my gut."
Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell's role as a starter could be on the line.
© Kirby Lee | 2023 Dec 10
Garoppolo has played only six games this season and by the end of his last performance, he led the league in interceptions with nine.
In addition, the veteran has passed for 1,205 yards and seven touchdowns this season and Garoppolo went 3-3 in those six games.
O'Connell does know this Chargers team well, having played them in his first career NFL start in Week 4, when Los Angeles won, 24-17.
The Silver and Black will turn around quickly and host their AFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Chargers, on Thursday, December 14, at 8:15 p.m. EST/5:15 p.m. PST.
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