Ahead of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers, there was speculation as to who would start the game. Then, on Tuesday afternoon, Aidan O’Connell took part in a media interaction that dispelled all doubts. He would start for the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday Night Football. But what led interim head coach Antonio Pierce to stick with O’Connell despite him losing three back-to-back games?

The Raiders had played a game on the previous Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, and he must have thought it was too soon for the team to have Jimmy Garoppolo lead them on the following Thursday. But, as it turned out, his decision paid off remarkably. In the Chargers game, the Raiders put up a score that ranks second in the current season.

Aidan O’Connell comes through for his team

When his team needed him the most, O’Connell shined. On Thursday, the Raiders beat down the Chargers 63-21. And O’Connell put up such a great show that @NFLonPrime was compelled to put up a celebratory post on X. He recorded 248 passing yards, 4 passing touchdowns, threw 0 interceptions, and was sacked just once!

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This was as brilliant a comeback as it could get for the 25-year-old QB. In the last three losing games, he had scored only 2 touchdowns, threw 4 interceptions, and was sacked 7 times. After his Sunday game, his passer rating shot up to 120.7, which is the highest for him this season.

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After such a brilliant game, it seems highly unlikely that the Raiders would go back to Garoppolo as starting QB. Speaking of, it’s been a long time since we even heard of the veteran QB.

Where is Jimmy Garoppolo?

Before the Chargers game, there were rumors in the air that O’Connell could be benched in favor of the 32-year-old. Garoppolo has started six games for the Raiders, has a 0.500 record, and has registered a total of seven touchdowns and nine interceptions. The team’s other QB, Brian Hoyer, had only started one game for the Raiders and lost that game with zero touchdowns and two interceptions.

While O’Connell’s average passing yards per game is 230.43, Garoppolo’s is 200.8. And on all other metrics as well, O’Connell seems to be the better QB. The Raiders have an important game coming up on Christmas Day where they will face the Super Bowl defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.

When the two went head-to-head previously in November, the Chiefs beat them 31-17. Will O’Connell bring his A-game on Christmas Day as well, or will the Chargers game prove to be a one-off incident?

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