Getty Las Vegas Raiders QB Aidan O'Connell.
It’s been a disappointing year for the Las Vegas Raiders offense. Despite having All-Pro players like Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs to go with fringe stars like Kolton Miller and Jakobi Meyers, the offense ranks 25th in the NFL in scoring.
The rough year can mostly be attributed to inconsistent quarterback play. Since rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell took over the starting job in Week 9, the Raiders have scored more than 20 offensive points in a game just twice. The offense hasn’t scored a single touchdown in two of the last three games.
Though O’Connell hasn’t played well, interim head coach Antonio Pierce has appreciated how the quarterback has responded to his rough play.
“I really think that takes a lot for a young quarterback to understand that and have that emotional balance of not getting into the highs and the lows of the National Football League, and then to read the press good or bad,” Pierce said during his December 29 media availability. “Because two weeks ago, he was Joe Montana, right? … Now, put him with the Bad News Bears.
“We’re not doing that. He’s the starting quarterback and he’ll have his ups and downs. We got to do a better job around him from the coaches, play callers, players around him to bring him along. I never thought any day we will win a game because of Aidan, that was not the plan and is not the plan going forward.”
These are some blunt comments from Pierce but it’s clear that the team’s expectations for O’Connell aren’t very high. However, with the Raiders back in the playoff race, it’ll be interesting to see if the rookie has a shorter leash.
Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell prepares this morning for the 10th start of his rookie campaign with the Raiders still in the playoff hunt.
🎥: By @Sean_Zittel, Vegas Sports Today
Antonio Pierce Praises Gardner Minshew
The Raiders are playing another team fighting for a playoff spot in Week 17 as they head to Indianapolis to face the Colts. Similar to Las Vegas, the Colts are playing a different starting quarterback than they did in Week 1 with Gardner Minshew.
Minshew has played well this season and has been a big reason why the team is still in playoff contention. Antonio Pierce had praise for the veteran quarterback.
“He has the ability to escape, he has a good feel for the pocket,” Pierce said. “Good pocket presence, good awareness there. And it’s a little different than what we felt last week or dealt with last week with Patrick [Mahomes], that this guy’s eyes are down the field, and he can make plays and he turns to off-script plays. And that’s difficult for a defense because now you’re covering for four or five or six seconds and that’s not where we want to live.”
Antonio Pierce Updates Josh Jacobs’ Injury Status
The Raiders need to beat the Colts if they want to stay alive in the playoff race and having Josh Jacobs would help. He’s missed back-to-back games with a quad injury and it’s looking like he might miss a third game, according to Antonio Pierce.
“That’s going to be a game-time decision, just be honest with you,” Pierce said. “I mean, no need to rush it. If he can go at one o’clock on Sunday, I’m happy with that.”
Zamir White had 145 rushing yards as Jacobs’ replacement in Week 16 so he’s proving to be a capable replacement in the short term.