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Jimmy Garoppolo will be out for Week 7’s matchup against the Bears, and coach Josh McDaniels has made the unpopular decision to turn to 37-year-old Brian Hoyer for the Raiders instead of rookie Aidan O’Connell, as reported by The Athletic.
That, of course, is enough to get under the skins of Raiders fans everywhere. But what might make matters worse is that, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, Hoyer may have won the job simply by throwing a 48-yard completion in relief of Garoppolo last week against the Patriots.
The play came midway through the third quarter with the Patriots having cut the Raiders lead to 13-10 on their first possession after halftime. The Raiders were in a third-and-4 situation at their own 31 when Hoyer, operating from the shotgun, found Tucker over the middle. That, apparently, pushed him ahead of O’Connell on McDaniels’ list.
“Hoyer threw the best pass of the season for the Raiders last week and that may have been enough to give him the starting nod Sunday against the Bears,” Tafur wrote under the heading, “Why Hoyer got the nod over Aidan O’Connell.”
“Garoppolo is out with a back injury, and Hoyer came in for him last week and threw a 48-yard strike to Tre Tucker to help hold off the Patriots.”
Raiders’ Josh McDaniels Criticized for Brian Hoyer Pick
Now, Josh McDaniels’ Brian Hoyer choice is not a popular one in and around Raider Nation. The consensus there seems to be that Hoyer is old and on his final NFL legs. Starting him will offer nothing for the development of the franchise and, to boot, he has lost 12 straight games as a starter.
O’Connell obviously had struggles in his first start, in Week 4 against the Chargers, when he took seven sacks, committed a fumble and threw an interception, but he did improve as the game went on and Las Vegas outscored the Chargers, 10-0, in the second half. He’s also a 25-year-old rookie who had an electric preseason and offers some hope for an otherwise mediocre franchise.
Prominent Raiders podcasters and bloggers all lined up behind O’Connell:
The Bears Are Clearly Beatable
McDaniels’ counter would be that the Raiders have gotten back to 3-3 and are in the midst of the AFC playoff mix. The 1-5 Bears are eminently beatable even when completely healthy, but this week, they will be riddled with injuries, most obviously without starting quarterback Justin Fields as well as running back Roschon Johnson. Undrafted rookie Tyler Bagent will get his first career start on Sunday. A Raiders defense that has been surging lately is surely looking to feast on Bagent.
McDaniels knows that Hoyer might not be a big-picture answer for the Raiders, but he also knows that O’Connell is a wildcard. If he plays Hoyer, the Raiders can surely beat the Bears, even if it’s an ugly game—Hoyer is not going to make all that many mistakes. It’s likely the Raiders can win with O’Connell, too, given what he showed in the preseason, and in his one start this season. But McDaniels can’t be sure of that. O’Connell could get sacked 10 times and commit four turnovers.
McDaniels is in his second season coaching the Raiders, and needs to show results. Getting to 4-3 might take a little pressure off him, even if the Raiders are only beating bad teams. A win’s a win, and Hoyer is more of a sure thing to get a win over the Bears. That’s what is driving McDaniels here.
That, and that one pass to Tre Tucker, of course.
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