The Athletic Football Show on Aidan O'Connell

PodcastWhat analytical trends and rule changes tell us about the 2026 seasonAugust 24, 2026

From the episode

The Raiders had no timeouts and they went with a sneak with a no Connell. The play was initially stopped. And then a tight end who was like off the ball kind of like ran behind Aiden and started to push him.

Mentioned at 14:00 – 14:22

STACKED’s take

NeutralUsage

O'Connell was used on a high-stakes QB sneak in the preseason

Ryan Paganetti notes that in a recent preseason game, the Raiders utilized Aiden O'Connell on a quarterback sneak in a high-leverage situation with no timeouts and limited time, highlighting the continued reliance on the play despite the inherent risks of a rushed operation.