Josh Jacobs sends high praise to Raiders' rookie after tough loss
The Las Vegas Raiders had to trot out their rookie quarterback, Aidan O'Connell, due to Jimmy Garoppolo being ruled out with a concussion on Saturday. It didn't go well overall, as he was sacked seven times, six of them to Khalil Mack.He did, though, get his first-ever NFL touchdown and even had another one to […]
The Las Vegas Raiders had to trot out their rookie quarterback, Aidan O'Connell, due to Jimmy Garoppolo being ruled out with a concussion on Saturday. It didn't go well overall, as he was sacked seven times, six of them to Khalil Mack.
He did, though, get his first-ever NFL touchdown and even had another one to Davante Adams. He also had a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter, but the Raiders as a whole didn't put him in great positions to succeed.
After the game-losing interception, O'Connell wasn't fazed, which is a positive thing. And the entire game, he was calm and collected, which is exactly what you want to see in a rookie quarterback.
"He's as cool as they come," running back Josh Jacobs said after the loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, who wasn't extremely happy. "He didn't flinch when (anything) happened. He kept believing in himself and started to make plays when it mattered."
The last offensive drive for the Raiders is one they need to take a page out of their own book, especially to look for positives. He drove them down the field and made play after play, throw after throw, which was why they could have tied the game.
You ask O'Connell, though, and he isn't satisfied. He wants to and has to get better, which is all you want to hear.
"I think I have a lot to correct from this film," O'Connell said. "I just made too many mistakes. I just didn't do enough."
The Raiders have something special with O'Connell. I'm not saying he won't or will be a top quarterback in the league, but he certainly displays some similar attributes.
