Antonio Pierce Shares His Message To Raiders QB After Recent Struggles

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Las Vegas Raiders are almost out of the running for a wild-card playoff spot in the AFC, and this season has certainly been a wild ride for them.

They fired Josh McDaniels as head coach and replaced him with young linebackers coach Antonio Pierce while also benching veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo prior to Week 9.

Rookie Aidan O’Connell has been under center ever since Garoppolo’s benching, and he struggled on Christmas Day in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, completing just 9 of 21 passes and throwing zero touchdown passes.

Pierce said that O’Connell simply has to play better, while saying he appreciates the rookie’s “poker face.”

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Live: Antonio Pierce addresses the media from the Intermountain Health Performance Center. https://t.co/Y3mFWtJtOW

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 29, 2023

O’Connell was a fourth-round draft pick in April out of Purdue University, and in his final two seasons there, he threw a total of 50 touchdown passes.

He is almost certainly not the long-term answer for Las Vegas, but he almost certainly has to play much better if the team is to have any real hope of snagging one of the final playoff spots in the conference.

In Week 15 versus the Los Angeles Chargers, he threw four touchdown passes as the team clobbered the Chargers in a 63-21 victory.

O’Connell does have a big-time weapon in star wide receiver Davante Adams, as well as a solid No. 2 wideout in Jakobi Meyers.

Running back Josh Jacobs, however, has regressed after leading the NFL in rushing yards last year, and he has missed the Raiders’ last two games with a quad injury.

He will reportedly be a game-time decision this Sunday at the Indianapolis Colts.

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