While there has not been very much to smile about this season for the Las Vegas Raiders, they did take solace in the fact that quarterback Aidan O'Connell appears to be a solid backup the team can work with in the future. This 2025 campaign, however, is so toxic they can't even enjoy that.
Despite O'Connell getting off to a wretched start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had them in a position to possibly steal a victory before suffering a severe-looking injury. The worst part of it all was the fact it came on a what looked to be an uncalled penalty from Tampa Bay.
O'Connell was pushed from behind by Bucs pass rusher Calijah Kancey, which led to a very awkward fall and a serious leg injury that brought the game to a complete standstill. O'Connell later needed to be removed from the game via cart. Desmond Ridder replaced him.
O'Connell's leg was put in an air cast, and he was ruled out for the rest of the game almost instantly. The Bucs would later add another touchdown to make the score 21-10, which could prove to be an insurmountable deficit for the Raiders.
Aidan O'Connell suffers brutal leg injury in Raiders-Bucs game after cheap shot
While O'Connell wasn't playing his best game, as he had a terrible fumble and interception against a bad defense, he has still been proven to have a stronger arm than Minshew and more willing to distribute the ball quicker than Ridder. For whatever this may be worth, he gives them the best chance to win.
Ridder, who has two seasons as the on-again, off-again starter with the Falcons, will try to replace him. While Pierce deserves some blame for this season, the fact he has had to shuffle quarterbacks every week and work through major injuries from two of them.
The Raiders' 2024 season has been one bit of pain after another, as injuries to many key members of the team have made the race to the bottom all the more painful. Hopefully, O'Connell can bounce back from this injury and Kancey ends up with some sort of retroactive punishment.