“We Love Aidan”: Maxx Crosby’s Latest Admission Shrouds Jimmy Garoppolo’s Future in Added Doubt

The Las Vegas Raiders chose Aidan O’Connell as the 135th overall pick in this year’s NFL draft. He was chosen as the backup of the star QB Jimmy Garoppolo. However, little did anyone know, the average performance and the injuries will sideline Garoppolo, and bring O’Connell in as the starter, who will soon become the show-stopper.

The Raiders were losing this season, however, the last matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, has brought a slight hope in the eyes of teammates and fans. Although the team has a slim chance of making it to the playoffs, the team now has O’Connell, who could lead the franchise in a happy exit this season. And probably, he could also end Garoppolo’s starter phase, as the ‘swagger’ Maxx Crosby admitted his love for the new QB.

Antonio Pierce and Aidan O’Connell are the new stars!

In a recent episode of Pat McAfee, Maxx Crosby appeared as a guest virtually, expressing his happiness in the locker room after the blowout win over LA with a gigantic score of 63-21. When asked about how the team feels about their rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell, Crosby replied, “Yeah, no question, we love Aidan. You just see him getting better and better every week. He’s dropping dimes out…..and getting more and more comfortable.”

Crosby also highlighted the fact that playing as a quarterback is very tough, and “as a young guy coming in halfway through the season and seeing what he’s doing, it’s been incredible.” The defensive end also made it clear that the team fully believes in their new QB, had his back, and O’Connell exudes confidence in the locker room too. Besides O’Connell, Crosby praised their interim coach, Antonio Pierce, and his strategies, admitting that the team is happy with both. Interestingly, Pierce previously referred to O’Connell as his “BFF”. Garoppolo was supposed to fit perfectly in McDaniels’ offense, but then things changed.

So, with this confirmation, is it likely that Jimmy Garoppolo could face the bench for future games too? Well, it’s not only about love, it’s also about stats and wins.

Why is Aidan O’Connell better than Jimmy Garoppolo?

In the last game, Aidan O’Connell delivered an outstanding performance just when his team needed to win the most. He threw for 258 yards, and scored 4 passing TDs, with 0 INT. Furthermore, he was sacked only once. This marked a significant improvement compared to the last three games where he struggled with only 2 TDs, 4 INTs, and 7 sacks.

After Sunday’s game, O’Connell’s passer rating reached 120.7, so far the highest for him this NFL season. In contrast, Jimmy Garoppolo, who has started six games for the franchise this time, has a 0.500 record, with seven touchdowns and nine interceptions. O’Connell’s stats, including average passing yards per game (230.43) suggest that he is performing better than Garoppolo in multiple aspects, especially leading his team to win with historical scores.

Read more: “Move On”: Aidan O’Connell Reflects on Raiders’ Fightback After Going From 0 to 63 in 4 Days

Garoppolo hasn’t made it past two touchdowns in all of his Raiders starts. A completion rate of 65.5 percent (lower when compared to his five seasons with San Francisco 49ers) and 10-of-21 stat for a season-low 126 yards IN A 26-14 loss to the Lions before the QB change certainly raises doubts. Not to mention, Garoppolo was sacked six times and only connected once with Davante Adams. Since he was benched and looked uncomfortable in the pocket this season, he needs to do what he confessed, “It is what it is, so I just gotta play better, myself, I have to play better.” 

A rather realistic picture also suggests that O’Connell had some  ‘high-powered supporters’ in the locker room before the loss to the Vikings.

The Raiders have their next matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas.

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