The Las Vegas Raiders Week 14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came with a multitude of potential reactions and emotions.
The silver lining, of course, came thanks to the Jacksonville Jaguars defeating the Tennessee Titans on the same day the Raiders lost to Tampa Bay. The combination of these two outcomes were enough to catapult the Raiders into the no. 1 overall pick for next year's draft.
If the season ended today, the Raiders would get a chance to select Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft, among other top candidates. And, Sanders would be a welcomed addition with the way this franchise has struggled at quarterback in recent years.
Right on topic, here, we saw quarterback Aidan O'Connell leave the game against Tampa Bay due to a knee injury. In his place came Desmond Ridder to finish out the game.
More Raiders news:
Just before noon on Monday, the team was still awaiting official results on O'Connell's knee. However, head coach Antonio Pierce made it clear that Ridder would get the start in Week 15 against the Atlanta Falcons if O'Connell was unable to go.
About an hour after the news of Pierce's decision on Ridder came out, the Raiders did, indeed, get an official update on O'Connell. It was much better than expected, as he only suffered a bone bruise.
Despite this being diagnosed as only a bone bruise, O'Connell can't possibly suit up on Monday night, right? The guy was carted off the field and given an air cast. Thus, it should be Ridder getting his chance against Atlanta instead.
Desmond Ridder's potential revenge game vs. Falcons could ruin more than just Atlanta's playoff hopes
Ridder was drafted by the Falcons in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft before he was ultimately traded to the Arizona Cardinals and then made his way to Vegas. In their upcoming matchup this weekend, Ridder and the Falcons are playing for much more than just a win or loss.
The Falcons, first of all, are playing for their postseason lives. At 6-7, Atlanta has lost four in a row and gave up the NFC South lead to the Bucs thanks to Tampa's win over the Raiders. If Atlanta were to drop a fifth in a row, they'd be real close to being completley eliminated from playoff contention.
At the same time, while Ridder would get his revenge with a win, he'd also take the Raiders out of position for the no. 1 overall pick. It's truly a double-edged sword. On one hand, the Raiders might play spoiler to Ridder's former team.
On the other hand, it means Las Vegas very well could lose out on the opportunity to draft Sanders. In limited appearances this season, Ridder has gone 28-of-44 for 239 yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions.