HOUSTON – Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak has sung the praises of Aidan O’Connell throughout his first training camp working with the fourth-year quarterback.
That perhaps explains why Kubiak was so matter-of-fact after watching O’Connell lead a frantic second-half comeback in a wild 22-20 victory over the Texans in Thursday night’s preseason game at Reliant Stadium.
“That’s who he is,” Kubiak said. “He’s had a really solid camp. He’s got limited reps, but when he goes in there, he makes things happen. He’s a great leader of the offense. Very calm young man. Not surprised he had success there at the end of the game.”
O’Connell went 10-for-13 for 132 yards in the fourth quarter and led the Raiders to a pair of touchdowns in the final 7:27 of the game to rally for a win after they dug a 20-3 hole with top pick Fernando Mendoza under center for the entire first half.
He got the ball at his own 4-yard line with 1:37 to play and the Raiders trailing 20-16 and showed no panic despite the Raiders being out of timeouts.
O’Connell went 6-for-7 for 95 yards on the drive with the lone incompletion coming on a spike to stop the clock.
He hit Brandon Jackson down the middle for a 33-yard gain to the 1-yard line before hurrying to the line and scoring on a quarterback sneak with 14 seconds left.
“It feels great,” O’Connell said. “I thought the team did a great job fighting to the end. Everybody was in it. We had encouragement even from the guys who weren’t playing and then the guys who were playing finishing off like that was great.”
While the preseason win doesn’t count in the standings or add to his total of seven career regular-season wins, O’Connell said there was still value in the result.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “Camp is hard for everybody and everyone works really hard. Coaches, administration, our players obviously, strength staff, equipment room.
“It’s a grind, so to be able to pay it off like this is awesome and to be able to celebrate with the guys is why you play the game.”
Still, O’Connell knows his role. He’s buried on the depth chart behind presumed starter Kirk Cousins and the future face of the franchise Mendoza.
Kubiak has said he believes there are three NFL starting quarterbacks on the roster, but there is only one football and one starting spot on the depth chart.
Yet O’Connell continues to grind just as he has throughout his career.
Andrew Janocko is the seventh offensive coordinator O’Connell has played under in his brief career with the Raiders, and he continues to show an ability to learn and adapt in each situation. He has enough ability to go with his leadership, intellect and locker room presence to continue to stay relevant in the league.
O’Connell has never been viewed as the starter entering camp, yet somehow he has made 17 starts in three seasons. That includes 10 as a rookie in 2023, highlighted by a win in Kansas City against the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs on Christmas Day.
O’Connell was an afterthought that season as the third-stringer behind free-agent signing Jimmy Garoppolo and veteran backup Brian Hoyer.
Yet he put his head down and eventually earned his opportunity. He lost a training camp competition with Gardner Minshew the next season, but eventually started seven games.
O’Connell is a constant afterthought that just keeps finding a way to prove his value.
He did it again by helping the Raiders to a much-needed confidence boost of a rally after the Raiders fell behind 20-3 and looked lifeless in the first half on Thursday night.
“What great heart we showed in the second half,” Kubiak said. “Offense, defense. I’m really proud of our guys.
“It means a lot to our team. We needed to have that game, especially after that first half. We’ve seen flashes of that from our guys in practice and for them to go do it on a Thursday night game is very rewarding to see those young men play their hearts out in the second half.”
Especially O’Connell, who finished 15 of 24 for 166 yards in one half of action.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
