News Now: The Eagles are 8-1 and led the NFC heading into the weekend……..

The Raiders played a competitive game against the Dolphins on Sunday, but ultimately lost 20-13, dropping the team’s record to 5-6.

While rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell showed flashes of brilliance, he ended the game 24-of-41 for 271 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions. All three picks occurred in the second half, with two of them stopping Las Vegas’ final two drives, during which the Raiders might have matched or seized the lead with a successful two-point conversion.

Interim head coach Antonio Pierce, who is 2-1 since replacing Josh McDaniels, told reporters on Monday that O’Connell’s game was a tale of two halves.

“First half, executing, getting the ball where we wanted to — maybe a throw or two here we wish we could have and complete,” Pierce said in a press conference. “Then, as we all know, there’s no need to press in the second half.” There were definitely several instances where we were pressed. We’ve talked about it – it’ll be a tremendous learning experience not only for Aidan, but also for myself, in terms of what positions we put him in and how we let the game flow, and without putting too much pressure on him.

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Interim head coach Antonio Pierce, who is currently 2-1 since taking over for Josh McDaniels, told reporters on Monday that O’Connell’s game was a tale of two halves.

“First half, executing, getting the ball where we wanted to — maybe a throw or two here we wish we could have and complete,” Pierce stated in his news conference. “Then, as we all know, there’s no need to press in the second half. We were probably pressed in several circumstances. We’ve talked about it, and it’s going to be a tremendous learning experience not only for Aidan, but also for myself, in terms of what positions we put him in and how we let the game flow, and without putting too much pressure on him.

Interim head coach Antonio Pierce, who is currently 2-1 since taking over for Josh McDaniels, told reporters on Monday that O’Connell’s game was a tale of two halves.

“So it’s a group effort.” It’s also a team disappointment. It’s not Aidan’s fault – let’s be clear, we didn’t lose the game because of Aidan. But Aidan is aware that he must protect the ball. That is the quarterback’s primary responsibility, and we will improve.”

While the Raiders are still in the race for a playoff spot, there is a trade-off between that and seeing what O’Connell has to offer the rest of the season. Pierce expressed hope that Las Vegas would continue to unite behind O’Connell.

“Look around the National Football League; there are a lot of young quarterbacks.” “A lot of guys are having trouble with young quarterbacks,” Pierce explained. “Some guys are actually doing well. And we did well in both games. And we had one half that didn’t go our way. And, once again, when we talk about it, our leaders up front, from Kolton Miller to ‘Dre [Andre James], Josh Jacobs, to ‘Tae [Davante Adams], need to wrap their arms around the young players.

“Listen, we’ve all had bad days like that at the office, and you can’t point fingers at anyone. When we win, it’s a team effort; when we lose, it’s a team effort.”

In terms of O’Connell’s overall evaluation, Pierce mentioned that his future with the Raiders is undetermined beyond the rest of this season.

“We have six more games left, so we’ll find out in six more,” he remarked. “And then, you know, we’ll see what happens with AP in 2024.”