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'Connell this month because of issues with turnovers. Those struggles continued for Minshew, the well-traveled sixth-year NFL veteran.
Minshew threw three interceptions and lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown late in the first half. His first two picks led to a pair of Rams' touchdown runs, and the last came with 1:18 remaining as Minshew tried to lead a go-ahead drive.
“No, that’s on me, man," Minshew said. “That’s unacceptable to have that many turnovers. I got to be smarter with the ball. To have a game where we lose by five points and have four turnovers, like that’s critical, and it’s unfair to the rest of the team.”
The Raiders (2-5) have committed a league-worst 16 turnovers, with Minshew responsible for eight interceptions and two lost fumbles in six games. Las Vegas has a minus-13 takeaway differential after posting a minus-3 margin against the Rams.
Minshew said it was the worst run of ball security in his career.
“It’s super frustrating,” he said. "I’ve never turned the ball over like this in my life. It’s just very frustrating. So just got to keep looking at it, keep studying and keep training good habits, and we’re going to find a way out of this.”
The Raiders almost were able to overcome those errors and tie it late in the fourth quarter, but right tackle DJ Glaze committed a false start on fourth down from the Rams 4. Head coach Antonio Pierce sent out Daniel Carlson to kick his fifth field goal after the penalty.
“Like, those are some drive killers,” said Minshew, who was 15 of 34 for 154 yards.
O'Connell acknowledged the struggling offense, which was playing for the first time since wide receiver Davante Adams was traded to the New York Jets on Tuesday and did not have Jakobi Meyers available because of an ankle injury, is not in position to overcome those constant gaffes.
“Feels a little bit like a snowball effect right now, where it’s happened before, and we’re trying to get out of that mindset," O'Connell said. "But, yeah, it’s just kind of been unforced error, unfortunate error after error, and really nothing you can do but going back to the drawing board and try to regroup and put our best foot forward next week.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (12) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell warms up before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (12) looks to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (12) attempts to throw a pass as Los Angeles Rams safety Kamren Curl (3) jumps to defend during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The formula might look a bit different with the defense and running game carrying the Kansas City Chiefs. But the results are awfully familiar as the two-time defending champions keep knocking off teams — especially the San Francisco 49ers.
Patrick Mahomes overcame two interceptions to deliver a few big plays with his feet and the Chiefs remained the league's only undefeated team, beating the 49ers 28-18 Sunday in a Super Bowl rematch.
“I just don’t think it’s normal for what you’ve seen from us because there’s not a lot of passing touchdowns,” Mahomes said after going back-to-back games without a TD pass for just the second time in his career.
“There’s been a lot of turnovers, especially by me. I think it’s just showing the versatility of our team. It’s not just about me, it’s not just about the stats and the light show and stuff like that. It’s about playing team football and I believe if we continue to work, we’ll get better offensively throwing the ball down the field. But until then, it’s nice to know that we have a great running game, we’ve got a great defense and we’re able to execute whenever the time comes to win football games.”
The Chiefs (6-0) ran for a season-high 184 yards and got four TDs on the ground for the first time since the 2018 playoffs against Indianapolis. The defense did the rest with three interceptions against Brock Purdy and the 49ers (3-4) on a day when Mahomes had his second fewest yards passing ever (154) in a game he didn't leave injured.
Mahomes made his best plays without throwing the ball. He had a 33-yard scramble where he juked Dee Winters by stopping near the sideline and then continuing for more yards. That set up a 1-yard scramble on fourth-and-goal when he lowered his shoulder to knock over hard-hitting rookie safety Malik Mustapha at the goal line.
“He's just a playmaker,” said Kareem Hunt, who ran for two scores. “Whenever the ball is in his hands, he can make plays with his arm or legs.”
The stakes and the quality of play weren't at the same level as eight months ago when Mahomes and the Chiefs beat the 49ers 25-22 in overtime for their third Super Bowl title in five seasons.
But the result was the same with Kansas City winning its fifth straight over San Francisco, including two Super Bowls.
The game came with a potentially heavy price for San Francisco. Star receiver Brandon Aiyuk was carted off after getting hit on his right knee while making a catch late in the first half. Coach Kyle Shanahan said the team fears that Aiyuk tore his ACL.
Aiyuk's absence proved crucial late in the third quarter when the 49ers were driving with a chance to erase a 14-12 deficit.
Purdy threw an off-target pass to backup receiver Ronnie Bell, leading to an interception by rookie Chris Roland-Wallace. The Chiefs then turned that into a touchdown thanks to Mahomes' two runs.
Mahomes finished 16 for 27 for 154 yards and has eight interceptions and six passing touchdowns this season. But that has been enough for Kansas City to become the 10th defending Super Bowl champion to start the following season with six straight wins.
“We got plenty of room to improve on things,” coach Andy Reid said. “Eventually guys will start coming back. But the thing I appreciate the most are guys stepping up and then the other guys trusting them to step up and believing in them.”
Purdy wasn't much better as the defenses had the better of this game. He went 17 for 31 for 212 yards with two TD runs and three interceptions. His third pick came in the end zone midway through the fourth quarter with San Francisco trying to mount a comeback.
“We didn’t do anything really good on offense,” Shanahan said. “I know he’d love to have all three of those picks back. Brock’s been playing unbelievable this year. He’s done some good things on offense this year but today wasn’t that day.”
Niners rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall made his debut exactly 50 days after being shot in the chest during a robbery attempt in San Francisco. Pearsall was activated from the non-football injury list and came in for his first play on San Francisco’s opening drive. He caught his first career pass late in the second quarter and finished with three catches.
“It meant everything considering all the adversity I went through this past month,” Pearsall said. “It was really good to go out there with my guys again.”
His presence was needed since San Francisco played the second half without its top three receivers. Jauan Jennings missed the game with a hip injury, Deebo Samuel played only four plays because of an illness, and Aiyuk got hurt late in the first half.
Niners All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams got ejected late in the fourth quarter after punching safety Bryan Cook in the helmet.
Chiefs: CB Jaylen Watson (ankle) left in the second half with an injury that Reid said could be long term. ... WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring) left in the first half.
Chiefs: Visit Las Vegas next Sunday.
49ers: Host Dallas next Sunday night.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) remains on the field after being hit during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) is hit by Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie, left, and safety Chamarri Conner during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, bottom, catches a pass against Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) runs against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Chris Conley (18) cannot catch a pass while being defended by Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) passes against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) runs against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
Kansas City Chiefs safety Jaden Hicks (21) celebrates with teammates after intercepting a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) celebrates after a touchdown by Mecole Hardman during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
