INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Aidan O'Connell was looking forward to securing his hold on the starting quarterback job for the Las Vegas Raiders, only to sustain a thumb injury in the first quarter of a 20-15 loss at the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. O'Connell was hurt when his right hand smacked the hand of Rams safety Kam Curl while throwing a long pass.
Adding insult to injury, O'Connell was penalized for intentional grounding on the play. “It was super unfortunate," he said. "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 stayed in for the last offensive snap of the drive, completing a short pass to wide receiver DJ Turner on third-and-21, but the second-year QB from Purdue said his thumb was already 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," said O'Connell, who was 6 of 10 for 52 yards on the Raiders’ first two series. After the game, O'Connell had his thumb in a splint, which was covered with black tape.
The 26-year-old said the extent of the injury would not be known until they return to Las Vegas for further examination, “but (was) hoping for some good news,” he added, having dealt with a similar injury in middle school. Gardner Minshew replaced O'Connell for Las Vegas' third series. Minshew began the season as the starting quarterback, but was replaced by O.