The Las Vegas Raiders (2-11) are not merely playing for moral victories in the final month of the 2024-25 NFL season. Head coach Antonio Pierce is trying to retain his job going into next year. So although fans may be rooting hard for the Silver and Black to get the No. 1 overall draft pick, there is a sense of desperation and hunger filtering through Allegiant Stadium. That situation is further complicated by the latest Aidan O'Connell injury update.
The 26-year-old quarterback, who was carted off the field in last Sunday's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, after a late shove by Calijah Kancey, is listed questionable with a bone bruise for Vegas' Week 15 Monday Night Football matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. The news, which comes courtesy of NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, means that it is becoming increasingly more likely that Desmond Ridder will have a chance to enact revenge on his former team.
Will Aidan O'Connell be able to suit up for Raiders?
O'Connell did not practice in any capacity in the lead-up to the inter-conference showdown, and yet, the Raiders are still holding out some hope that he can get right in time for opening kickoff. A win in Allegiant Stadium would snap a nine-game losing streak, inject some much-needed pride into the locker room and severely diminish the Falcons' postseason prospects. What more can a last-place squad ask for at this stage of the season?
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Surely, O'Connell wants to be the one to lead Las Vegas to such a triumph. He nearly helped the team pull off an improbable road victory versus the Kansas City Chiefs on Black Friday, but the former Purdue star instead made a game-ending communication gaffe. He then tossed a costly interception deep in Buccaneers territory, which prevented the Raiders from taking the lead in the third quarter. O'Connell has shown he can make things happen on occasion, though.
Antonio Pierce trusts the 2023 fourth-round draft pick to be the starting QB with Gardner Minshew recovering from a broken collarbone. Though, as stated before, Desmond Ridder would be incredibly motivated to vanquish Atlanta. Fans will have to wait a bit before a final ruling is made on Aidan O'Connell's status.
