Raiders QB O’Connell Attends Practice But Isn’t Confirmed for Dec. 16 Falcons Game

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell participated in a walkthrough practice on Wednesday, Dec. 11, after injuring his left knee in the Raiders' loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 8. Raiders Head Coach Antonio Pierce said he wasn't ready to confirm whether O'Connell would start in the Raiders' home game against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday, Dec. 16. O'Connell is also exercising caution about participating in Monday night's game. “I can obviously walk and move around and just obviously doing some stuff in the water, but trying to get on the field and move around today, which I did,” O'Connell told The Associated Press (AP). “So just trying to progress and trusting the training staff to get me where I want to be.” If O'Connell is out of the Raiders-Falcons matchup on Monday, Desmond Ridder will start in the game. Last season, Ridder started in 13 games for the Falcons before being traded to the Arizona Cardinals. This season for the Raiders, Ridder has been the backup in four games, completing 28 of 44 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions, according to an AP report. O'Connell's recent injury underscores the challenges he's faced this season. During the preseason, Gardner Minshew beat him out of the starting spot for the Raiders. O'Connell later broke his thumb in an Oct. 20 game against the Los Angeles Rams and missed close to six weeks of play. Two games after he returned to the lineup, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Calijah Kancey slammed O'Connell onto the turf. In other Raiders news, team owner Mark Davis told the media covering an NFL owners meeting in Irving, Texas, that he wasn't ready to decide whether to retain Pierce as head coach until after the current season ends. “We're still playing through the season," he stated in an AP report.