HENDERSON, Nev. — Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell “must be good to go” and begin Sunday towards the Jacksonville Jaguars, Raiders coach Antonio Pierce mentioned Friday.
This after O’Connell was carted off the sphere whereas carrying an air forged on his left leg on Dec. 8 on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and lacking Monday night time’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
He has practiced in a full capability this week.
“It felt nice,” O’Connell mentioned earlier this week. “Yeah, it felt actually good. It is all the time enjoyable simply being on the market with the blokes once more and, yeah, the physique felt nice.”
O’Connell misplaced a coaching camp battle to free agent signee Gardner Minshew however took over for an ineffective Minshew in Week 6.
A damaged thumb on his proper (passing) hand suffered in his second begin sidelined O’Connell for 4 video games earlier than he once more changed Minshew, who suffered a season-ending damaged collarbone on Nov. 24.
O’Connell then suffered the knee damage at Tampa Bay and was changed by Desmond Ridder towards the Falcons.
“I undoubtedly have watched much more than I wished to this yr, from the sideline or from wherever, and so it is undoubtedly been irritating not being on the sphere,” mentioned O’Connell, who has began 4 of the six video games wherein he is performed this season. “I believe I realized loads in highschool and in faculty, each having to sort of sit on the bench for some time and wait my flip. [That] undoubtedly taught me persistence.
“However on the similar time, I believe I do know what it is prefer to must work and whenever you’re not on the market and perhaps not be capable of see the progress daily, however [I] simply sort of must belief the method.”
O’Connell, who began 10 video games for the Raiders as a rookie, has handed for 899 yards with 4 touchdowns and three interceptions whereas finishing 63.2% of his passes.
“If you happen to simply stay recreation by recreation, I believe that is a harmful place to be and so I am undoubtedly going to focus and make it a one-game season,” he mentioned. “However there’s numerous soccer to be performed, I hope, in the remainder of my profession.
“So I am simply taking the chance as it’s and, I believe, whenever you put an excessive amount of strain on your self, you place your self in a foul place. So I am simply going to lock in and concentrate on this week and no matter’s to come back after that, I will fear about it later.”
The Raiders, who’ve misplaced 10 straight video games, are tied with the New York Giants for the worst file within the league at 2-12, whereas the Jaguars are 3-11.
