If anyone ever thought that Daniel Jones was going to come save the Raiders at the quarterback position, you are wrong. There’s a new sheriff in town, as Officer Farva aka Aidan O’Connell is back from his injury. With Gardner Minshew done for the season after suffering a broken collarbone, the Raiders turn to O’Connell.

At this point, the white flag should be waved and it is okay to say that it’s over. The Raiders are closer to the number one overall pick than they are a playoff spot. At the end of the day, just finish the season strong and at least show compete. On a short week and on Black Friday, the Raiders take on the Kansas City Chiefs.

O’Connell Against Kansas City

In the course of his career, O’Connell is 1-1 against the Chiefs. He has a passer rating of 81.6 and has thrown one touchdown in the two games. The funny thing is the game the Raiders lost, he was actually efficient. He threw for 248 yards and only had ten incompletions. It was good to see and against a good defense when it comes to defending the pass.

The other funny thing is that he was horrendous in the Christmas Day game and it truly was a Christmas Miracle the Raiders escaped Arrowhead Stadium with a victory. O’Connell completed just nine of his passes and the defense held Mahomes in check enough to secure a win. Coming back from an injury, it’s going to be a challenge for him right from the start.

Time to Get to Work

When it comes to quarterback play, Minshew and O’Connell are very different players. Minshew is spunky and fun and isn’t afraid to escape the pocket. Also, he doesn’t throw the ball deep down the field. For O’Connell, he is a pocket passer and is not going to run. However, he will stand in there and make an accurate throw and also air it out down the field. During the 2023 season, O’Connell had his furthest pass go 50 yards, and this season it’s at 30. Minshew did have his furthest pass for 57 yards, so that’s nice. When it comes to the pass game, O’Connell will have his work cut out for him.

The Chiefs are coming off a game where they allowed Bryce Young to throw for 263 yards and a touchdown. Also, they’ve been good overall against the pass. The Chiefs rank 12th in pass yards against and 10th in average pass yards against. Also, they are excellent against the run, which makes the life for O’Connell that much more challenging.

Minshew threw for 209 yards in the first game. He was able to mix in both Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers. The Raiders will certainly need to mix in both players and will need to help put O’Connell in position to succeed.

The Raiders have pulled off an upset before with O’Connell at the helm. The offense also can’t be any worse than what it has been. Another upset victory and the day after Thanksgiving could make fans extra thankful this holiday weekend.