Tag: Aidan O’Connell

Aidan O’Connell takes blame for Raiders debacle to end game vs Chiefs

If you’re searching for blame for the crushing ending that cost the Raiders to win in Kansas City, Aidan O’Connell says put it on him.

Everyone is still reeling from the ending to the Raiders vs Chiefs in Arrowhead today. With the Raiders in field goal range with 11 seconds left, looking to kick the game-winning field goal, they blew it.

Aidan O’Connell came out and lined up in shotgun to pass it. According to head coach Antonio Pierce, the reason for this formation was because O’Connell was to run some time off the clock and then throw the ball away before they came out to kick the field goal as time expired.

It was a risky play call for many reasons. And a bad snap was one of those risks. That’s what happened. Watch the full sequence as well as the confusion that ensued that took the game from a sure Raiders win to a defeat.

Kirk Herbstreit insisted in the broadcast that it wasn’t Aidan O’Connell’s fault. That Jackson Powers-Johnson simply snapped the ball too early. But O’Connell told a different story after the game, taking full responsibility for the miscue.

“It’s completely my fault,” said O’Connell after the game. “I was looking out to the right, making sure guys were set and I started clapping to…in my head I was thinking signal the ball to get the ball, but when I start clapping it tells Jackson to snap the ball. So, Jackson did exactly what he should have done and I clapped too early. That’s how the ball bounces sometimes. It didn’t go our way, so super tough, but there’s really nobody to blame by myself. That’s probably the hardest part to swallow.”

It’s hard to say, really, whether the blame falls completely on O’Connell or if he’s just doing the admirable thing and falling on the sword for his center.

Either way, it’s a good look for the young QB. He put the team in this position by completing several passes to get them in range for the field goal, and shouldn’t have been put in the shotgun on such a crucial play when the game was seemingly in the bag.

Chiefs clinched playoff berth after Week 13 victory over Raiders

The Kansas City #Chiefs clinched a playoff berth after their Week 13 victory over the Las Vegas #Raiders on Black Friday.

The Kansas City Chiefs guaranteed their spot in the AFC playoffs after securing a Week 13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday.

The Chiefs seemed destined to lose their matchup against Las Vegas after Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell led a heroic two-minute drill that got his team in field goal range facing a two-point deficit.

But, when rookie center Jackson Powers-Johnson botched a snap to O’Connell with 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Kansas City’s defense made the most of its opportunity to close out the game.

Star linebacker Nick Bolton lept on the ball, and the Chiefs took possession after the referees called a controversial penalty that Kansas City had the option to decline.

This was among the Chiefs’ sloppiest wins in a season that has seen the defending Super Bowl champions stack victories seemingly against all odds.

With its spot in the playoffs now secured, Kansas City officially controls its own destiny in the race to earn the AFC’s No. 1 seed, and a coveted bye in the Wild Card round.

Raiders vs Chiefs: Botched snap steals defeat from jaws of victory for Raiders

What looked like a sure win for the Raiders ended in heartbreak with a fumbled snap and a Chiefs improbable victory.

It was back to the scene of the crime for the Raiders and the Chiefs. The last time the Chiefs lost on their home first was Christmas Day of last season to these very same Raiders. This time a lot more wins separated the two teams. But it didn’t matter. This Black Friday was not going to be a cakewalk win for the AFC top team Chiefs.

The first half was a defensive battle mostly and it was a one-score game at 10-3 going into the locker room.

Two third quarter field goals for the Chiefs would put some space between the teams, and made it look like the same old second half collapsing Raiders. 

And suddenly it wasn’t. And it happened quickly.

Off the kickoff from the second field goa Ameer Abdullah broke off a 59-yard kick return. Two plays later, he would drop one into Brock Bowers for a 33-yard touchdown to bring it to a one-score game again at 16-10.

The defense would force a three-and-out and on the second play of the Raiders possession, O’Connell launched one to Tre Tucker up the left sideline for a 69-yard touchdown. After the point after, the Raiders took at 17-16 lead over the Chiefs, giving flashbacks of their improbable win in Kansas City last season.

That lead didn’t last long. The Chiefs drove quickly down the field on the ensuing possession. But the Raiders defense held up at the end again, to limit them to a field goal and a 19-17 lead.

That’s where it would stay heading into the final minutes and the Raiders began driving again into KC territory.

A Bowers 14-yard catch put the ball at the KC 40-yard-line. But they would get no farther. George Karlaftis gets in the way of a pass into the flat to bring up third and 11. Then Justin Reid swatted one down.

With the ball at the 41 with 2:21 left, the Raiders brought out Daniel Carlson for his third attempt outside 55 yards. He had missed the previous two from 55 and 56 and this one was from 58 yards out. The kick was low and wide.

All was not lost, however. The Raiders defense stopped the Chiefs for another three-and-out, while taking just 21 seconds off the clock, giving the Raiders two minutes to again try and drive for a game-winning score.

A 25-yard connection from O’Connell to Bowers put the ball at midfield. An 11-yard pass to Jakobi Meyers and a seven-yard pass to Abdullah put the Raiders in field goal range with mere seconds left. Then…disaster.

O’Connell was not expecting the shotgun snap from center Jackson Powers Johnson and the Chiefs recovered the fumble to hold onto the win.

Brutal ending for the Raiders who had the game all but won.

Big question for me is why was he even in shotgun in this position?

Watch: Aidan O’Connell throws 2 TD passes late to take lead over Chiefs

Two huge throws by Aidan O’Connell to Brock Bowers and Tre Tucker has the Raiders storm back early in the fourth to take the lead in KC.

It was getting late and the Raiders were showing little signs of life on offense. The Chiefs were up 16-3 and the way things were going, that seemed like enough to win it.

Then things changed very quickly.

Aidan O’Connell threw a couple touchdown passes to take the lead in Kansas City.

The first was a drop in the bucket to Brock Bowers.

Bowers had a one-handed grab a bit earlier, so he was showing that he was where they need to go to get the tough yards.

The defense forced a Chiefs three-and-out, and on the first play of the Raiders’ possession, O’Connell threw a perfect deep ball to a streaking Tre Tucker up the left sideline for another touchdown…and the lead.

Suddenly it was a 17-16 Raiders lead which no doubt had the Chiefs having flashbacks to their loss to the Raiders on Christmas Day last season.

Chiefs vs. Raiders: Chris Jones makes history with second-quarter sack

Chris Jones passed a legend on Kansas City’s all-time franchise leaderboard for sacks during the #Chiefs’ Week 13 matchup against the #Raiders

The Kansas City Chiefs’ defense has struggled recently after dominating the first half of the season, but it seems the tides may be turning.

After the Chiefs kicked a field goal in the first quarter to take a 3-0 lead over the Las Vegas Raiders, Kansas City’s defense took some time to get into gear.

Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell carved up the Chiefs’ secondary on a ten-play, 83-yard drive that got Las Vegas into Kansas City’s red zone.

But, just when it seemed that the Raiders might take an early lead, Chiefs pass-rusher Chris Jones sacked O’Connell, which stymied Las Vegas’ offense on a key third down.

Jones advanced his position on Kansas City’s all-time franchise leaderboard for sacks on the play, passing legendary Chiefs edge rusher Justin Houston.

Take a look at Jones’ outstanding effort on the play in this video, which was posted by the team’s official account on Twitter:

Expect the All-Pro lineman to continue putting on a show as Friday’s game progresses.

Raiders send 2 starters to injured reserve, add 4 to active roster Week 13 vs Chiefs

Raiders made several moves including sending Gardner Minshew and Jakorian Bennett to IR and adding four others to face the Chiefs Week 13.

Early Thanksgiving Day, the Raiders took care of quite a bit of business. First they sent starting quarterback Gardner Minshew along with starting cornerback Jakorian Bennett to injured reserve.

Minshew broke his collarbone late in the team loss to the Denver Broncos last week. His season is done.

Bennett suffered a shoulder injury on the second play of the team’s game in Miami in week 11 and missed the Broncos game last week. He will be out at least the next four weeks which means should he return this season, he would be eligible to play the final two games of the season.

In corresponding moves, the Raiders officially activated QB Aidan O’Connell from injured reserve and signed practice squad WR Terrace Marshall to the active roster.

O’Connell will start vs the Chiefs on Friday, He had been out the past four games with an injured thumb. While Marshall has been on the team’s practice squad since October 22, appearing in one game this season so far.

Additionally, the Raiders elevated CB Kyu Blu Kelly and RB Sincere McCormick from the practice squad. McCormick in particular played well enough last week against the Broncos to earn more snaps this week.

Aidan O’Connell set to start for Raiders week 13 vs Chiefs

Seeing Aidan O’Connell practice this week, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce has named him the starter week 13 vs the Kansas City Chiefs.

Just in time for the loss of Gardner Minshew, the Raiders get back their former starter, Aidan O’Connell from injured reserve and he is set to start Friday when the Raiders face off against the Chiefs in Kansas City.

“Feel good about Aidan,” said head coach Antonio Pierce. “He’s been dialed in obviously throughout this time that he’s been on IR, he’s been in all the meetings, he’s been very encouraging on the sideline, he’s got that laser eye focus right now. Great opportunity for him.”

O’Connell had been named the team’s starter over Minshew in week six and in his second start, he suffered a broken thumb that landed him on IR. This is the first week he was eligible to return, but it was a matter of whether Pierce thought he was ready to go right away or not.

For that, he needed to see him throw the ball and his command of the offense. It was a short week, so he had just two days to get an idea of O’Connell’s readiness. He’s seen enough to make the call to give him the nod.

“He carried himself like a starter.,” Pierce continued.

“You can just look in his eyes, look at his demeanor, it wasn’t a guy like ‘I’m out for the season’, no, it was ‘I’ll be back, I’m ready to be back,’ and he worked his tail off to get back.”

O’Connell won his start at Arrowhead last season on Christmas Day and gets back in time to try and do it again.

Had O’Connell not been ready, Desmond Ridder would have started instead. Ridder will be his backup for the game.

Will Aidan O’Connell play this week? Injury updates for Raiders QB

Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell is dealing with a broken thumb. Here are the latest updates.

The Raiders might look to Aidan O’Connell as the quarterback after Gardner Minshew suffered a broken collarbone in the loss to the Broncos last week.

O’Connell has been on the IR since October, though, with a broken thumb. The initial timeline for his return was estimated to be 4-6 weeks.

Will the former Purdue QB take snaps on Friday?

Aidan O’Connell injury update

O’Connnell is on track to return for the Raiders. He suffered a broken thumb and has been on IR but … he is ready to go again.

One point to remember: O’Connell was the quarterback last season when the Raiders defeated the Chiefs in one of their two meetings.

Raiders quarterback depth chart

After the Minshew injury, the Raiders only have Desmond Ridder at quarterback.

Raiders ‘ramping up’ Aidan O’Connell opening door for potential return Week 13 vs Chiefs

With Gardner Minshew out for the season, the Raiders may have to expedite return of Aidan O’Connell from injured reserve week 13 vs Chiefs.

It’s a hell of a week to have uncertainty at the quarterback position for the Raiders. They will have four days to prepare to face the rival Chiefs at Arrowhead and as of now have their starting QB out for the season and their next best option uncertain if he’ll be healthy enough to go.

“We’ll see if Aidan [O’Connell] is good to go,” head coach Antonio Pierce said Monday. “He’s been ramping up.”

O’Connell has been on injured reserve the past four weeks rehabbing a broken thumb. He will return to practice, opening the window for his return to the active roster, but a lot remains to be seen if he will be ready.

“We’ll just have to see and I’ll have to rely on our doctors and medical staff,” Pierce said. But it’s more than that. Even if he’s cleared medically, he has to pass the eye test

“I know Aidan. I think we all know what it looks like when he’s feeling right and that hand is correct and able for him to perform at a level and help us win a game,” Pierce added.

“So, just seeing him able to grip the ball, comfortable, hopefully no pain there. And just being able to be efficient. Putting a player out there that’s hurting or injured still, that’s not in the benefit of the player or our team.”

Should Pierce or the other coaches feel like O’Connell is not ready, they would turn to Desmond Ridder, who Pierce admitted after the game Sunday night that he hasn’t seen nearly enough from to be confident that he can handle starting duties after just a month with the team.

It’s going to be a late day today for the Raiders as they have to try get a read on O’Connell’s level of readiness and make some kind of decision on who will be starting at quarterback when they head to Kansas City.

Desmond Ridder says he is ready to go if called upon to start for Raiders

Should Aidan O’Connell be unable to return, Desmond Ridder could be the Raiders starting QB week 13 vs the Chiefs. He says he’s ready.

Late in the Raiders’ week 12 game against the Broncos, Gardner Minshew went down hard and was taken to the locker room with an apparent shoulder injury. He was replaced at quarterback by Desmond Ridder.

With the revelation that Minshew is lost for the season with a broken collarbone, Ridder would seem to have a legitimate chance to be the starter when the Raiders face the Chiefs next Friday. An opportunity Ridder says he’s ready for.

“Yeah, I feel I’m ready to play,” said Ridder after the game Sunday. “I’ve been here almost a month now. I feel comfortable with the offense. I’m ready to go, so whatever the situation may be, it’s not up to me, it’s up to the higher power, but I’m ready for any situation may be.”

His head coach seems to feel a bit differently about Ridder’s readiness to be the team’s starter.

“It’s not enough reps,” Pierce said. “When Gardner was in there we gave him all the reps. He did some stuff in seven-on-sevens, but to sit there and say we’ve seen enough? No. We’ve seen film, he’s played in this league and obviously today was tough. Sitting on the bench the last 55 minutes and now you’re throwing him in the ball game, but he did the best he could.”

Ridder came into the game late in the fourth quarter and on his second play had a rusher come around the left edge to hit his arm as he threw, forcing a fumble the Broncos recovered in scoring range.

He then faced a soft Broncos defense and was able to drive down the field before ultimately getting sacked in goal to go from the one. He plans to be ready to step in as the starter if called upon just as he would at a moment’s notice during a game.

“You try to do as much as you can to stay warm, whether that’s in the first half coming in here getting a stretch or in half time, hopping on the bike around the third quarter and throwing in between every drop,” Ridder added. “So really it’s just being ready to go. And I’m always ready to go. I’ll make sure I’m never not ready to go in that situation.”

Former starter Aidan O’Connell is eligible to return from injured reserve this week and if he’s ready to go, he figures to be the most likely to reclaim his starting job. But if he’s not, then Ridder will have to get up to speed with his teammates in three days time to face the best team in the NFL in their house at Arrowhead.