O'Connell Picked up Where he Left off Against Rams
Despite Las Vegas Raiders veteran quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer making their preseason debuts for the Silver and Black in the team's victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday, it was once again rookie Aidan O'Connell who stole the spotlight.
O'Connell stepped in to play the entire second half, ultimately finishing with a game-high 163 passing yards and two touchdowns.
The rookie quarterback had a very impressive outing in his first NFL game last week against the San Francisco 49ers, having posted 141 yards and a touchdown after getting the start.
"I mean, I'm very interested in watching all of our young players," Raiders Coach Josh McDaniels said when he addressed the media after Saturday's game. "I mean, this is a great opportunity for all of those guys in joint practices and in preseason games to really go out there and compete, but also improve. A lot of these things that they're doing and/or seeing are the first time they're doing it. Tre Tucker, a handful of things today. Same thing with Aidan [O'Connell], Chris Smith, [Amari] Burney. There's a number of guys who are out there doing things, and they're seeing things for the first time.
"So, that game experience, the live reps against somebody who you don't know what they're going to do. You're not sure exactly how that's going to go from snap to snap. It's all positive for us in terms of getting those guys an opportunity to work and take repetition. So, they will either do the right thing or learn from the mistake."
Garoppolo played only the first drive and was impressive, leading the Raiders' offense on a 68-yard touchdown drive. He recorded 39 passing yards and was a perfect four-for-four on completions.
Hoyer took over after the opening drive and would play the remainder of the first half. His performance contained highs and lows, as he threw a pick-six, yet balanced it with a touchdown pass.
Hoyer finished with only 12 completions on 22 attempts but still threw for 144 yards.
The Silver and Black return to preseason action when they play the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT.
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