Las Vegas Raiders: Keys to victory against Miami Dolphins in 2023 Week 11
By Brad Weiss
Aidan O'Connell cannot afford big mistakes early on
This past weekend, the Las Vegas Raiders played host to the New York Jets on Sunday night, a huge test for Raiders rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell. The Jets have been bad on offense this season, but their defense had done a nice job humbling quarterbacks in 2023, including the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert.
O'Connell held his own, posting a better QBR than his AFC West counterparts, but the game was not without bumps in the road for him. O'Connell fumbled and threw an interception early on against the Jets, and thankfully, New York is so putrid on offense that it did not come back to haunt the Raiders.
On Sunday, that kind of stuff will not fly, as the Dolphins have one of the more explosive offenses in all of football. If the Raiders rookie QB throws the ball to them, or fumbles it to them, giving them good field position, the Silver and Black could be in for a long day down in South Beach.
Hopefully O'Connell plays more like he did against the Giants, where he took care of the ball, and led the Raiders to a 30-6 victory over New York. The Dolphins defense may not be as good as the Jets is, but they have playmakers of their own, so this is a battle O'Connell must win on Sunday.