#AIDAN_O’CONNELL

[tsportsday]

Raiders embarrass Chargers with historic first half en route to 63-21 blowout win Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement

[tsportsday]

A group of guys took a trip to Las Vegas and lost just about everything they own, a tale as old as time. The group of men in question this time are none other than the hapless Los Angeles Chargers, who ended any chance of scraping together a respectable performance before the end of the season.The Raiders, who are starting fifth-round rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell, ripped off 49 straight points before the Chargers scored a touchdown with 10 minutes left in the third quarter on Thursday night. The Chargers had no Justin Herbert, no defense, no ball security and now, they have absolutely no reason to bring back head coach Brandon Staley after suffering a 63-21 defeat.Staley noted that he still had a grasp on the culture of the team after its Week 12 loss against the Ravens, ESPN's Kris Rhim reported during the game. Staley said his team would be getting “blown out of the water” if they had tuned him out. Well. It happened.The Raiders (6-8) and interim head coach Antonio Pierce were up 42-0 before halftime. At no point was this game close except at the starting point of 0-0. The Chargers (5-9) were embarrassed on the national stage in such a jarring manner that there’s almost no way to come back from this. Offense, defense, special teams — each unit had a disastrous performance that led to this historic loss against a team that’s the middle of its own tumultuous season. It’s hard to seem more disinterested in winning than the Chargers were during their Thursday night implosion.Head coach Brandon Staley and the Chargers suffered a humiliating 63-21 loss on Thursday night against the Raiders. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)In a way, this loss should be freeing for the Chargers. There’s no hiding from a defeat like this. It’s impossible to spin this in a positive manner to keep a sliver of hope alive for the job prospects of Staley (and general manager Tom Telesco) following the season. This is the green light they needed to rip the Band Aid off and get a head start on who will replace Staley. This isn’t losing a tough game to the Ravens or a shootout with the Lions — this is allowing a 60-piece to a team that’s about to enter a lengthy rebuilding phase."Games like this happen in the NFL," Staley told reporters postgame.Actually, this isn’t a result that happens very often in the NFL. Since the 1970 merger, there were only nine games in which a team scored 60 points — this will be the 10th (and on a different note, the second this season). Backup quarterbacks and injured defenses play every week, but they don’t give up this kind of result. The Chargers’ tumble this season now has a defining moment where they’ll be remembered for all the wrong reasons.Staley said that he deserved to keep his job after the debacle, saying,"I know what I've done here for three years and I know what I put into this and I know that we're capable of going. I know the type of coach that I am."The extenuating circumstances don’t matter. It’s time to turn the page. Even if Staley isn’t fired immediately after the game and gets the final three games of the season, this game will be the top reason as to why the Chargers have to let him go on the infamous Black Monday after Week 18. It’s hard to come back from a team looking totally disinterested like this — plus, he never even got remotely close to figuring out how to get the Chargers' defense moving in the right direction like he did as coordinator with the Rams.It’s just over here. There should be some peace with that. It’s not like everything is completely over for the Chargers moving forward. They’ll need to tweak their roster to get under the salary cap and be a player in free agency, but they get Justin Herbert back next year in conjunction with what could be a top-five draft pick. There are worse places to be for a new regime walking in, but the Chargers are only in this position because Staley has been a whiff as a head coaching hire.Better luck next year, Chargers. At least you can say you probably won’t give up 63 points in a game next season. It’s about the small victories — that’s all they have left after a demoralizing night in Vegas.

[tsportsday]

A group of guys took a trip to Las Vegas and lost just about everything they own, a tale as old as time. The group of men in question this time are none other than the hapless Los Angeles Chargers, who ended any chance of scraping together a respectable performance before the end of the season.The Raiders, who are starting fifth-round rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell, ripped off 49 straight points before the Chargers scored a touchdown with 10 minutes left in the third quarter on Thursday night. The Chargers had no Justin Herbert, no defense, no ball security and now, they have absolutely no reason to bring back head coach Brandon Staley after suffering a 63-21 defeat.Staley noted that he still had a grasp on the culture of the team after its Week 12 loss against the Ravens, ESPN's Kris Rhim reported during the game. Staley said his team would be getting “blown out of the water” if they had tuned him out. Well. It happened.The Raiders (6-8) and interim head coach Antonio Pierce were up 42-0 before halftime. At no point was this game close except at the starting point of 0-0. The Chargers (5-9) were embarrassed on the national stage in such a jarring manner that there’s almost no way to come back from this. Offense, defense, special teams — each unit had a disastrous performance that led to this historic loss against a team that’s the middle of their own tumultuous season. It’s hard to seem more disinterested in winning than the Chargers were during their Thursday night implosion.Head coach Brandon Staley and the Chargers suffered a humiliating 63-21 loss on Thursday night against the Raiders. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)In a way, this loss should be freeing for the Chargers. There’s no hiding from a defeat like this. It’s impossible to spin this in a positive manner to keep a sliver of hope alive for Staley’s (and general manager Tom Telesco) job prospects following the season. This is the green light they needed to rip the Band Aid off and get a head start on who will replace Staley. This isn’t losing a tough game to the Ravens or a shootout with the Lions — this is allowing a 60-piece by a team that’s about to enter a lengthy rebuilding phase."Games like this happen in the NFL," Staley told reporters postgame.Actually, this isn’t a result that happens very often in the NFL. Since the 1970 merger, there were only nine games in which a team scored 60 points — this will be the 10th (and on a different note, the second this season). Backup quarterbacks and injured defenses play every week, but they don’t give up this kind of result. The Chargers’ tumble this season now has a defining moment where they’ll be remembered for all the wrong reasons.Staley said that he deserved to keep his job after the debacle, saying,"I know what I've done here for three years and I know what I put into this and I know that we're capable of going. I know the type of coach that I am."The extenuating circumstances don’t matter. It’s time to turn the page. Even if Staley isn’t fired immediately after the game and gets the final three games of the season, this game will be the top reason as to why the Chargers have to let him go on the vaunted Black Monday after Week 18. It’s hard to come back from a team looking totally disinterested like this — plus, he never even got remotely close to figuring out how to get the Chargers' defense moving in the right direction like he did as coordinator with the Rams.It’s just over here. There should be some peace with that. It’s not like everything is completely over for the Chargers moving forward. They’ll need to tweak their roster to get under the salary cap and be a player in free agency, but they get Justin Herbert back next year in conjunction with what could be a top-five draft pick. There are worse places to be for a new regime walking in, but the Chargers are only in this position because Staley has been a whiff as a head coaching hire.Better luck next year, Chargers. At least you can say you probably won’t give up 63 points in a game next season. It’s about the small victories — that’s all they have left after a demoralizing night in Vegas.

[tsportsday]

Easton Stick will make his first NFL start Thursday against the Raiders. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)A lot can change over the course of an NFL season and Thursday's contest between the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers is a fantastic example of that.Jimmy Garoppolo and Justin Herbert, the team's starters in Week 1, are out. In Week 15, the game will be decided by fourth-round rookie Aidan O'Connell and first-time NFL starter Easton Stick. The Raiders opted to go with O'Connell over Garoppolo after the team's season tanked. Stick is filling in for Herbert, who will miss the rest of the year with a finger injury.It's a big opportunity for both players. O'Connell is fighting to prove he is a prospect worth developing. Stick could extend his playing career significantly if he puts up solid numbers in relief of Herbert.Follow along as Yahoo Sports provides the latest news, scores and injuries during Thursday Night Football in Week 15.Live5 updatesThu, December 14, 2023 at 7:01 PM ESTIn an @NFL first, an all-Black on-field and replay crew will officiate tonight’s game. It also will be the first time that three women will be on the same crew, with one on the field and two in the replay booth. pic.twitter.com/gy1XY5hDeF— NFL Football Operations (@NFLFootballOps) December 14, 2023Thu, December 14, 2023 at 7:00 PM ESTThu, December 14, 2023 at 6:59 PM ESTThu, December 14, 2023 at 6:59 PM ESTThu, December 14, 2023 at 6:58 PM ESTour inactives for #LACvsLV WR Keenan AllenS JT WoodsDB Deane LeonardLB Amen OgbongbemigaTE Donald Parham Jr.DL Otito OgbonniaDL Nick Williams— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) December 14, 2023

[tsportsday]

You can watch "Thursday Night Football," Chargers vs. Raiders, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video at 8:15 p.m. ET.The Las Vegas Raiders host the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football. Perhaps better said, half of what once was the Raiders host half of what once was the Chargers tonight, as both teams are facing a disastrous end to the regular season.The Raiders and the Chargers share the same 5-8 record through Week 14. The two franchises are coming off a loss (three in a row in the case of Las Vegas, mind you). The two squads won’t have arguably the player at the most important position available after Justin Herbert went down on Sunday and, well, the Raiders have been dealing with quarterback issues all season anyway.Perhaps most interesting, however, is the fact that while both franchises would benefit from simply shutting the operation down and losing the remainder of their schedules, both have a coach fighting to stay put next year. Will any of the coaches lift the pedal from the metal knowing more losses would seal their firing? Will any of the front offices allow their HC to lose knowing that’s better for their future? Tough decisions!The Chargers opened the week as three-point favorites on the road with an over/under set at 34.5. Those figures, of course, only factored Herbert’s injury to an extent pending further examinations. That’s why oddsmakers flipped the equation and ultimately settled on Las Vegas as the favorite for TNF’s matchup by those same three points, while the total points projection went down to 33.5 but ended back up at the original mark.The Raiders have the fifth-worst offense at 15.5 points per game to Los Angeles’ middle-of-the-pack unit scoring 21.7 points per contest. Although the combination yields a total average above 37, the truth is that these two teams have been awful of late and you'd probably be in the right if you err on the safe side of things by betting the under.How do the Chargers and the Raiders arrive at their TNF matchup?If you watched the Raiders game last weekend from start to end, congratulations.Las Vegas hosted Minnesota on Sunday and all both teams combined for was … three points. Already into the fourth quarter. With less than two minutes remaining. Sheesh.Not only did the Raiders struggle mightily against the Vikings, but they also kept rookie backup quarterback Aidan O’Connell on the field for the full length of the game while also losing running back Josh Jacobs in the fourth quarter to a knee injury.It’s not that Jimmy Garoppolo would have fixed the Raiders offense, but O’Connell is a 63.8% passer with four touchdowns and seven interceptions to his name. He seems to have little chance of earning a living in the NFL as a starter for long and Las Vegas was still trying to win to make it to the playoffs this season.Not anymore, folks.The same goes for the Chargers, who endured not only a loss on the scoreboard last Sunday but also on the season as a whole when Justin Herbert went down with a fractured index finger. With the quarterback done for the year, the year is over for the Chargers.Truth be told, that’s been the case for a while. Los Angeles entered TNF having lost four of their last five games and their only win came on a 6-0 victory against the New England Patriots. Barring a 41-38 defeat to Detroit in Week 10, the Chargers have failed to score more than 20 points in four consecutive games, topping at 10 in their last three.TNF Week 15: Injury ReportOn top of Herbert being lost for the season, WR Keenan Allen, the best Chargers playmaker, suffered a heel injury. He did not practice on Wednesday and was ruled out for Thursday.Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs was his stubborn self and tried to play through pain, carrying the ball 13 times for a meager 34 yards against the Vikings, but ultimately went to the locker room limping in the fourth quarter with a quad injury. He’s listed as “questionable” to play on TNF, although odds are he ends up missing the game or only taking sparse snaps given the short turnaround and the fact that he hasn’t practiced all week long.Davante Adams did not practice on Wednesday, listed with an “illness” in the final injury report released by the Raiders. He wasn’t in the report on Monday or Tuesday, so he should play as long as he is not feeling under the water on Thursday.A few more players have graced both franchises’ injury reports throughout the week, some of them potentially impacting fantasy decisions. Tight end Gerald Everett was limited earlier this week but logged a full practice on Wednesday. Joshua Palmer is back from IR with the wideout having missed all games between Week 9 and Week 14, but logged three full-participation practices before TNF.One stat that can swing the balanceThe Chargers allow the fourth-most yards per game … but the Raiders average the fourth-fewest. What gives?There is no sugarcoating how awful the Raiders offense has been of late and although the Chargers unit hasn’t been that bad (it ranks a mediocre 17th league-wide, mind you), they will have to play without their starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.Both franchises have solid defenses (which is why they are still in “fake contention” for making the postseason) but now that they are closer to the No. 1 pick than a wild-card berth and facing the home stretch of the season without some of their best playmakers, things can get even uglier for them.With Justin Herbert out, the Chargers will use Easton Stick as their starter. Stick replaced Herbert on Sunday and completed 13-of-24 passes for 179 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. He threw a 57-yard pass to rookie Quentin Johnson, but that’s mostly it. No need to mention Johnson’s struggles all season long, making his Week 14 outing a bit of a fluke.The Raiders are expected to start O’Connell (we’ll see if he ends the game on the field or the bench, however) and there is even the chance for a platoon approach on TNF. No matter what they do, they won’t lose (or win) anything for trying.Not completing third- and fourth-down plays is going to hurt these two teams’ chances at advancing the rock and piling up numbers. That’s bad for the outlook of talented players such as Joshua Palmer (the new WR1 of the Chargers with Keenan Allen out) and Davante Adams.Both Allen and Adams failed to score double-digit half-PPR points in two consecutive weeks each, just for context.With Raiders rusher Josh Jacobs “questionable” but almost certainly limited and Chargers running back Austin Ekeler finally bringing his A-game back to the table on Week 14, the Bolts RB looks like the most solid and safe play this week among those involved on TNF.Other than that, it’s slim pickings and blind trust.One player to start, two to fadeStart in all leagues and use in DFS: RB Austin Ekeler (LAC)If you drafted Austin Ekeler back in August, then you have probably kept him around for the full season and although he’s gone through some ups and downs he surely paid off last weekend. He played best game in a month after failing to crack double-digit fantasy points in the prior three outings.You’re likely starting Ekeler every week, but even more so on TNF against the Raiders. He is also a legitimate Superstar pick for single-game DFS contests today. Ekeler can do it both on the ground and through the air and he tends to carry a high floor with him every week, simply because of his high volume.The Raiders struggle the most against the run game, allowing the eighth-most yards per carry and rushing points per game entering Week 15. They have allowed an average of 21.8 FPPG to opposing backfields this season, the sixth-worst average in the NFL.Ekeler didn’t play against Las Vegas in Week 4 so we don’t have a reference point. That said, Ekeler’s been great of late when facing subpar defenses against the run. He’s scored at least 18.5 half-PPR fantasy points in three of his last four matchups against below-average defenses against fantasy RBs.Bench/Avoid streaming: Gerald Everett (LAC)With Justin Herbert out and Easton Stick starting for the Chargers, Gerald Everett might look appealing to you as a potential safety valve getting sought by the backup quarterback. Everett was targeted eight total times last weekend, splitting those looks evenly between Herbert’s and Stick’s passes.Everett finished 5-of-8 for 39 yards and no touchdowns, but only two receptions and 15 yards came with Stick on the field. Week 14 marked the second week in a row in which Everett finished exactly with 6.4 half-PPR fantasy points.Back in Week 4, when both teams met for the first time, Everett had one of his worst games of the season catching two passes for nine yards and 1.9 FP. The Raiders are a tricky matchup for tight ends as they allow the highest catch rate to players at the position but they have limited them to only three touchdowns through the entire season.With Everett being very touchdown-dependent (he’s failed to break more than 6.5 FP in all games he’s not caught a touchdown) and having just scored three TDs through 11 games played, it’s better to fade the tight end and look for alternative streamers this week.Fade in DFS: Davante Adams ($24)You’re not sitting Davante Adams in most leagues as one of the prime players at the position. If Keenan Allen had not been ruled out, I’d have opted for him instead of Adams for a single-game DFS fade.If Garoppolo gets some playing time in the event O'Connell gets benched, then Adams would get a bit of a boost (he’s averaged 14+ FPPG with the veteran QB) but if O’Connell plays the full game, then Adams should be a no-go on TNF for most fantasy GMs that can afford to sit or fade him.Adams has averaged fewer than 10 FPPG in the games started by the rookie quarterback. When he broke the double-digit barrier in Week 10 and Week 11 he needed 13 targets (six and seven receptions respectively) each time to get there.O’Connell has targeted Adams more than any other player on the Raiders offense (nearly 32% of the targets went his way) but he’s also misfired the most when aiming at the superstar wide receiver (almost 24% of his targets were inaccurate/uncatchable). With that outlook, Adams looks more like a potential WR3 than a WR1 today.One player to scout as a prospective waiver wire pickupRaiders RB Zamir White (8% rostered)I have seen a few analysts pushing for Zamir White as the No. 1 waiver wire target of Week 15 following the news of Josh Jacobs’ injury last weekend. That might be the right move to make and a solid one this late in the regular season if only because White should inherit an RB1 role for most of TNF with Jacobs listed as “questionable” to play and most probably limited in some capacity if he manages to start.That said, I’m including White in this section and not as a must-start player for a reason: he doesn't have a proven track record of positive production, let alone proof enough to use him as a starter in lineups or single-game DFS contests.Last Sunday, White rushed the ball two times and gained eight yards. Ameer Abdullah, the other Raiders rusher, is expected to get more use on pass plays. He got one carry last weekend (12 yards) and two receptions (seven yards).The Raiders have a disastrous running offense, mind you, ranking dead-last in rushing yards per game (80.6) even with Jacobs available for their first 13 games of the season.White will only be valuable on TNF if he finds the end zone one or he gets a massive workload (which is not guaranteed). He won’t be a factor in most fantasy leagues outside of deep ones.If you’re needy at the position or a GM in one of those deep formats, then give White a chance for the final few games of the season if Jacobs isn’t brought back by the Raiders in what is a lost campaign for them.

[tsportsday]

Before the media could enter the Las Vegas Raiders' locker room Sunday, Davante Adams was gone.The Raiders were fresh off a 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, which set the mark as the lowest-scoring indoor game in NFL history. The receiver was disgusted by the effort.So two days later, when he finally did speak with reporters, Adams' ire had subsided only a little."You want to be a part of history, but never that type," he said. "It's embarrassing, too. ... You walk off that field, and you've got a lot of fans that pay their money to come to see you play, and you go up and put up a goose egg. It almost looked worse that they only scored three, too."You've seen plenty of teams win, 20, 22-0, whatever, but when the other team wins by three and they only score three, it just looks horrible. So, hopefully we don't make any more history like that on this side."Las Vegas barely managed to record more than 200 yards of total offense — 171 passing and 56 rushing. Adams, who has only recorded one touchdown since Week 3, accounted for a whopping 53 yards on seven catches. He also hasn't recorded a 100-yard receiving game since that 13-catch, 172-yard and two-touchdown performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers.Meanwhile, the Raiders lost two fumbles and quarterback Aidan O'Connell tossed an interception, too. This putrid performance and lack of offense left a lasting bad taste in Adams' mouth that he's trying to move past in a short week."I mean, I'm moving past it," he said. "I'm not over it, but I'm past it, for sure."It's just, we couldn't really get a rhythm, couldn't establish really anything in the game. Once we did, we obviously turned the ball over and we just didn't make it easy on ourselves. So, that's what you're going to get if you can't convert third down. If you can't have explosive plays, it's going to look like that."Las Vegas heads into its Thursday night game against the Los Angeles Chargers on a three-game losing streak and having not scored more than 17 points in a month.At 5-8, Las Vegas currently owns the No. 6 pick in the draft and finishes the year against the Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos.