Interim Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce recently talked about Aidan O’Connell, in particular, closing out this season strong.
As Raiders fans are fully aware, the Silver and Black are walking into Arrowhead on Christmas with their playoff hopes still alive. Waiting for them is a hostile Chiefs Kingdom; how will O’Connell respond and deal with all of the noise? Unsurprisingly, Pierce briefly talked about the environment that awaits his squad.
“I said it at the beginning of the week: We’re bringing our own noise. I’ll leave it at that.”
Aidan O’Connell has three games left to show the Raiders what he’s made of…
If we’re talking tryouts, the previous matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers certainly showed what O’Connell might become. In fact, AOC showcased the deep ball—he completed three passes of 20 or more yards, all three going for touchdowns.
Aidan O’Connell on 20+ yard throws vs. the Chargers:
3/4
72 yards
3 TDs / 0 INTs
156.3 passer rating???? pic.twitter.com/u9bo0BF2rY
— PFF Las Vegas Raiders (@PFF_Raiders) December 18, 2023
Now, with the season coming to a close, the Raiders would like to maximize the time left. In these three remaining games, especially against the Chiefs, O’Connell must show continuous growth. Pierce, too, agrees with that sentiment.
“Growth. Just continuing to get better each and every day. Just like our entire team—just not Aidan, everybody. I mean, your evaluation is not over until the end of the day, right?”
It’s quite the conundrum that the Raiders find themselves in. Is Aidan O’Connell the future of the team? If the Raiders walk out of Kansas City with a win, with O’Connell leading the way, you have to figure his stock will be as high as ever. The NFL Draft and even Justin Fields might provide the team with some options this offseason. At the same time, to be fair, O’Connell’s growth has been steady and mostly consistent.
If O’Connell beats the Chiefs in his second career attempt, that would be the definition of growth.
*Top Photo: Chris Unger/Getty Images