3 terrible decisions by the Raiders during the 2023 season
By Brad Weiss
Starting Brian Hoyer against Chicago
The move that might have been the final nail in the coffin for McDaniels was heading into the Chicago Bears game in the middle of the season. The Raiders had won two straight going into that matchup, and sitting at 3-3, were the favorites against the Bears on the road.
Garoppolo was injured, and instead of the Raiders turning to Aidan O'Connell, who looked serviceable early in the year against the Los Angeles Chargers, McDaniels decided to go with veteran Brian Hoyer. The move could not have been worse for McDaniels, as Hoyer played so bad that the rookie O'Connell eventually had to come in and replace him.
The final stat line for Hoyer was a nightmare, as he could not get the offense going and finished 17-of-32 with two interceptions. O'Connell fared much better, tossing a touchdown pass to Jakobi Meyers, but in the end, the Raiders suffered their most embarassing loss of the season inside Soldier Field.
That loss sent their record to 3-4, and after the following game against Detroit, McDaniels was fired.