Aidan O’Connell made the first start of his career in Week 4 after the Raiders ruled out Jimmy Garoppolo on Saturday due to a concussion. He nearly brought the team back on Sunday after falling behind 24-7 in the third quarter.
So how did O’Connell fare in his first NFL action? Here is a look at his passing chart via the NFL’s Next Gen Stats:
#Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell’s passing chart vs. LAC: pic.twitter.com/FnsZoZhE91
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) October 2, 2023
The first thing you’ll notice is that there were zero completions beyond 20 air yards. In fact, O’Connell only attempted one pass beyond 20 air yards and that one was nearly intercepted.
O’Connell finished the game with 24 completions, 16 of which came within five yards of the line of scrimmage. He just didn’t push the ball down the field much in this game, but that has been the case with Jimmy Garoppolo this season, as well.
O’Connell didn’t play poorly, but the interception and two fumbles proved to be too costly. It seems likely that the Raiders will go back to Garoppolo in Week 5, but O’Connell showed enough against the Chargers that the team should be optimistic about his future in the NFL.