

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Quarterback Aidan O’Connell offered a first-hand account of how he was feeling in the Raiders’ locker room Sunday following a 20-15 loss to the Rams.
O’Connell injured his right thumb in the first quarter and didn’t return to the game. He is expected to undergo further testing when the team gets back to Las Vegas.
“It hurts,” O’Connell said. “It’s throbbing, but we’ll be alright.”
O’Connell was injured when his thumb contacted the head of blitzing Rams safety Kamren Curl while he was still in his throwing motion.
O’Connell remained in the game and completed a short pass to wide receiver DJ Turner the next play. The Raiders then punted and athletic trainers surrounding the second-year passer on the sideline. They escorted O’Connell to the locker room after a brief consultation so he could undergo X-rays.
Neither O’Connell or the Raiders would confirm the extent of the injury pending further testing. He was replaced by veteran Gardner Minshew the rest of the game.
“We have to get back to Vegas to know for sure, but hoping for some good news,” O’Connell said. “My thumb went numb and it’s hurting. I tried to give the third-down play a shot. I threw it and it didn’t feel great. So I tried to tough it out, but just not feeling great.”
O’Connell said he had a similar injury in middle school. The timing is tough this time around, as he regained the Raiders’ starting job from Minshew just last week.
“It’s super unfortunate,” O’Connell said. “I was really looking forward to today and this opportunity, so for it to be cut short was definitely hard.”
O’Connell completed six of his 10 passes for 52 yards before being removed. The Raiders didn’t score points on either of his two drives.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.