Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell is going to be out for the foreseeable future.
The second-year quarterback fractured his thumb in the first quarter of the Raiders’ 20-15 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
O’Connell’s injury occurred when Rams safety Kam Curl smacked the quarterback’s hand as he was trying to make a deep pass.
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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell attempts to throw a pass as Los Angeles Rams safety Kam Curl reaches out to block it during the first half, Oct. 20, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
“It was super unfortunate, I was really looking forward to today and this opportunity, and so for it to be cut short like that was definitely hard,” O’Connell said.
O’Connell tried to tough it out and stay in the game, but his thumb was numb.
“I tried to give that third-down play a shot, and then I threw it, and it didn’t feel great, so I tried to tough it out but, yeah, it was not feeling great,” O’Connell added.
O’Connell is expected to be placed on IR and miss four to six weeks, but he has a chance to return this season, per multiple reports.
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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell throws a pass during the first half against the Los Angeles Rams, Oct. 20, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
O’Connell lost the starting quarterback competition to veteran Gardner Minshew in training camp. But after five games, head coach Antonio Pierce benched Minshew and turned things over to O’Connell.
In his first start last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 13, O’Connell was 27-for-40 for 227 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the Raiders’ 32-13 loss.
O’Connell was 6-for-10 passing for 52 yards before injuring his thumb against the Rams.
Minshew replaced O’Connell and struggled, completing 44% of his passes for 154 yards while throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble.
On the season, Minshew has thrown four touchdowns compared to eight interceptions in six games.
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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell looks to pass during the first half against the Los Angeles Rams, Oct. 20, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
It doesn’t help that top receiver Davante Adams is no longer with the team after last week’s blockbuster trade to the New York Jets.
The Raiders dropped to 2-5 with the loss to the Rams and are losers of three straight games.
Their next game is against the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs at home on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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