Credit: Jeffrey Becker/USA TODAY Sports
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell broke his right (throwing) thumb during the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, according to a report from ESPN. O’Connell was seen with a heavily wrapped splint after the game and is set to undergo more tests on Monday following the Raiders’ 20-15 loss, which dropped their record to 2-5.
“I’m hoping for some good news,” said O’Connell, who added that he suffered a similar-feeling injury in middle school.
“It just hurts and it’s throbbing, but we’ll be all right.”
O’Connell Exits Game After Early Injury
The injury occurred during the Raiders’ second offensive series when O’Connell attempted a deep pass and Rams safety Kamren Curl hit him on his follow-through. O’Connell received a flag for intentional grounding on the play and exited the game after completing a 10-yard pass to DJ Turner on the next play.
“I threw it and it didn’t feel great,” he said. “I tried to tough it out but, yeah, it does not feel great.”
Before leaving, O’Connell completed 6 of 10 passes for 52 yards. He faced heavy pressure from the Rams defense, being pressured on 50% of his dropbacks, according to ESPN.
“Super unfortunate,” O’Connell said of the timing of the injury. “I was really looking forward to today and this opportunity, and so for it to be cut short like that was definitely hard.”
Minshew Replaces O’Connell, Struggles With Turnovers
Gardner Minshew, who had been benched in favor of O’Connell the previous week, replaced O’Connell. Minshew struggled, committing four turnovers—three interceptions and a fumble, which Curl returned 33 yards for a touchdown. Minshew finished the game completing just 15 of 34 passes for 154 yards and a career-low passer rating of 21.0.
After the game, Minshew took responsibility for his poor performance, saying, “That’s on me, man, that’s unacceptable to have that many turnovers”. “I’ve got to be smarter with the ball. To have a game where we lose by five points and have four turnovers? That’s critical. And it’s not fair to the rest of the team.
“So, I’m going to go back, look at the film, I’m not going to sulk, I’m not going to pout, but whatever we’ve got to do to fix it, I’m going to do it.”
Raiders’ Penalties and Turnovers Prove Costly
This marked the third straight game in which the Raiders committed three turnovers, a streak tied for the team’s longest in 15 seasons. The Raiders also faced 10 penalties for 80 yards, including a crucial false start on fourth-and-goal, which led head coach Antonio Pierce to settle for a field goal instead of a touchdown attempt.
“Penalties and turnovers,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce lamented of his team, which committed 10 penalties for 80 yards, including a momentum-killing false start on fourth-and-goal at the Rams’ 4-yard line. The mistake prompted Pierce to kick a field goal while trailing by eight points late in the game. “Sound like a broken record.”
Minshew Takes Responsibility for Poor Performance
Minshew, who has now thrown eight interceptions and lost two fumbles this season, shares the NFL lead in turnovers with Tennessee’s Will Levis.
“I’ve never turned a ball over like this in my life,” Minshew said. “It is very frustrating. So, just got to keep looking at it, keep studying, keep training, [have] good habits and we’re going to find our way out of this.
“A little bit of it’s being aggressive with the ball. A few of them have been just bad ball placement, like the one to DJ [Turner] today, just missed behind him. So, a combination of things, so got to look at it, address it and move on.”
Raiders Face QB Depth Issues with O’Connell Out
With O’Connell likely to miss time, the Raiders’ only other quarterback is rookie Carter Bradley, currently on the practice squad. The team may explore other options, as they had veteran Nathan Peterman briefly during training camp, but he is now with the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad.
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