Graney: 4 days make all the difference for Aidan O’Connell

Four days earlier, he took the blame for an impossibly bad 3-0 loss. Said it was on him.

That he had to be better. That his decisions at the line of scrimmage weren’t up to par for an NFL player.

Four days later, Aidan O’Connell had the most memorable of outings in his rookie season on a night the Raiders set a franchise record for points in a game.

The Raiders drilled a Chargers team 63-21 that wanted nothing to do with competing Thursday evening at Allegiant Stadium.

The Chargers wore white jerseys but might as well have been waving them as flags from the first quarter on.

O’Connell was as good as they were awful. He was as sound as they seemed disinterested.

Four days earlier, O’Connell said he still believed in himself and his ability to lead the Raiders.

Four days later, he did that and much more.

A coach’s belief

This is what he had in him: O’Connell would finish 20-of-34 for 248 yards and — count ’em — four touchdowns.

He hadn’t this season come close to such a performance, but don’t discount how the Chargers played. It really was a combination of both — a young quarterback competing with supreme confidence and an opponent without a heartbeat.

Antonio Pierce never announced his starting quarterback entering the game, leaving many to wonder if the interim coach might turn to veteran Jimmy Garoppolo.

But if he didn’t do so during a 3-0 loss to the Vikings on Sunday, such a move now would make little sense. He was almost always going with O’Connell, who more than held up his end.

“I never lost confidence (in O’Connell),” Pierce said. “Never wavered. I made the decision to go with Aidan when I took over, and I don’t think you ever go back on your gut. Aidan is a rookie. When I was a rookie and played, I made mistakes. I had ugly games. It’s hard to play the position he plays. He had a rough day at the office (Sunday).

“But on Monday, his (butt) was the first one in the building. (On Wednesday), he was the last one in the building. He stayed there all day until he got it right. He has a great opportunity, which is no different than me. Tonight, he’s on the winning side.”

Current players couldn’t give a sniff about draft placement. About the idea that the best thing for the future of a team likely going nowhere near the playoffs is to lose and earn as high a selection as possible.

They don’t train and work and sweat to accept such a premise, as sound as it might be. But while the win sure as heck moved the Raiders further down draft positioning, you wouldn’t discover a silver and black soul in a celebratory locker room afterward who cared.

Week-to-week

Four days earlier, things were as bad as they could get. The Raiders had been shut out against the Vikings, and O’Connell didn’t appear at all the answer for now or the future.

Four days later, he was lights out and all but muddied the waters about whether the fourth-round pick could be just that.

I’m still not sure the Raiders know exactly what they have in him. But they sure approved of how he played Thursday.

“You try not to get too high or too low,” O’Connell said. “(Garoppolo) really helped me a lot this week. We had some good discussions about what the NFL really is, how hard it is every week, how hard it is to bounce back after a game (like Sunday). How it’s week-to-week and anything can happen.

“I have great guys in my corner. Super supportive. Helping me as I’m kind of treading the waters here in my first year.”

We’ll leave it at this: Aidan O’Connell was as good as we’ve seen Thursday night. The Chargers obliged.

What a difference four days make.

Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X.