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Antonio Pierce with Norv Turner.
The Las Vegas Raiders have been holding out hope that quarterback Aidan O’Connell would be able to start this week following a bone bruise injury in his knee that he suffered against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, it’s looking like the injury may be too serious for him to overcome in a single week.
According to a Dec. 16 X post from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Desmond Ridder is expected to start on Monday against the Atlanta Falcons. It’ll be his first start of the season and it should be a big game for him.
Ridder was drafted by the Falcons in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft and started in 17 games across two seasons with the team. He wasn’t able to play at a high enough level for Atlanta to keep him as the starter and he was cut this last offseason. Ridder’s main issue with the Falcons is that he couldn’t take care of the ball. He had 12 interceptions and 12 fumbles last season.
It would be a big statement for him if he could play a clean game against his former team. A win only hurts the Raiders in this spot as they’d drop to seventh in the draft, per Tankathon, but Ridder has an opportunity to show that the Falcons made a mistake by letting him go.
Falcons Are Prepared for Desmond Ridder
One potential advantage that Ridder has over O’Connell against the Falcons is that he’s very familiar with the team. Though there’s a different head coach in place in Raheem Morris, Ridder knows many of the players.
Morris knows that Ridder is going to be ready to play and he’s making sure his team is ready for the quarterback.
“He’ll be prepared in the right way. He’ll be ready for us,” Morris said, per AtlantaFalcons.com. “A familiar opponent, some people he knows, and I know we’ve got to get ready for him as well. He can run the football, he’s talented, he’s athletic, he’s big, he throws football, did a lot of good things.”
Drake London Excited to Face Former Teammate
One of Ridder’s closest friends on the Falcons is wide receiver Drake London. While the two won’t be directly facing each other as they both play offense, London is excited to see his friend.
“I told him, if I see him before the game, I may have to punch him in the arm or something like that so can’t do nothing against us,” London said. “But no, I’m just happy for him.”
Things didn’t end well for Ridder in Atlanta and London understands the nature of the business. Regardless, he knows the quarterback is fired up to play.
“That’s the brutality of this league,” London said. “You could go from being so high to so low so quick. But the fact that he’s been fighting his way back and he’s on a team right now — I mean, he’s starting on Monday Night Football — I know he’s ecstatic about it and definitely happy where his role is right now. I know he wants more. He wants something that’s solidified for sure.”
