Did the Las Vegas Raiders’ 2023 season go up in smoke? After winning two straight games, the Silver and Black had momentum with a 3-3 record. Head coach Josh McDaniels and his squad faced a Chicago Bears team without Justin Fields.
Brian Hoyer was named the starter under center with Jimmy Garoppolo unavailable, but after losing 30-12 to Chicago, there are questions about starting the veteran going forward. McDaniels defended his decision to not go with Aidan O’Connell as Garoppolo’s fill in.
Truthfully, Hoyer’s record as a starting quarterback should’ve been a sign that Las Vegas went with the wrong player if they wanted to leave Soldier Field with a win.
There’s a lot to dive into with the underwhelming loss that puts the Raiders at a crossroads with the NFL trade deadline looming on Oct. 31. Let’s touch on the latest.
Raiders’ Josh McDaniels explains not starting Aidan O’Connell
Las Vegas fans know what Hoyer brings to the table. The veteran can be a good mentor and someone who can come in under center in an emergency. However, the 38-year-old isn’t going to lead an offense down the field and put up points.
So, in a game against a bad Bears team with no Fields, it was a head-scratching decision to go with Hoyer over O’Connell. Hoyer didn’t take advantage of this opportunity, either, as he went 17-of-32 on his pass attempts for 129 passing yards with two interceptions.
O’Connell came in relief of Hoyer in the fourth quarter, and the much younger signal-caller again showed positive signs. The 25-year-old went 10-of-13 on his pass attempts for 75 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Even though the Purdue product at least injected some life into the Raiders’ offense, Josh McDaniels backed his decision to go with Hoyer.
“This isn’t the preseason anymore, you know what I mean?” McDaniels told reporters postgame when asked about why he went with Hoyer over O’Connell (h/t 8 News Now’s Logan Reever). “When your starter is not available, you’re trying to make what you think is the best decision for the team.
“Again, I don’t put this all on one person. Now, let’s make sure we make that clear. There’s a lot of people that can do a better job of what we did today, and that’s what we’re going to need to do.”
Brian Hoyer’s losing streak continues
O’Connell may or may not be the quarterback of the future for the Raiders. Still, they need to ride him through good and bad to form an opinion instead of throwing out Hoyer under center.
“Jimmy G” right now is proving to be injury-prone, and if Las Vegas’ season trends downward after this loss, then O’Connell should be under center if Garoppolo is out. Additionally, Hoyer’s losing streak as a starting quarterback should’ve been a sign to go with the rookie.
The Associated Press’ Josh Dubow spotlighted on X (formerly Twitter) that Hoyer has lost his last 13 starts. There are only six quarterbacks who have had a longer losing streak than the veteran: Archie Manning (14), DeShone Kizer (15), Marc Bulger (15), Steve Spurrier (15), Chris Weinke (17), and Dan Pastorini (21).
Las Vegas will play the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football at Ford Field in Week 8. Garoppolo is expected to return next week, but if the Raiders fall to 3-5, is it time for the team to give O’Connell a more extended look to see what they have?
What do you say, Raiders fans? What should the team do at quarterback? Is it O’Connell time, or should they stick with Garoppolo until the season goes south?
*Top Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images