TAMPA, Fla. — Desmond Ridder knows he could be the Raiders’ next starting quarterback after Aidan O’Connell was carted off with a knee injury Sunday.

Ridder also knows who’s next up on the team’s schedule.

The Raiders are set to host the Falcons on Dec. 16 on “Monday Night Football.” Atlanta drafted Ridder in the third round in 2022 before trading him to the Cardinals this offseason.

“God works in mysterious ways,” Ridder said. “I’m grateful for any time I’m able to be in the position to go out there and touch grass and play with my brothers on the field. We know it’s a Monday night game. We know what the game will mean for myself personally. But I’m excited to get back to work.”

Ridder entered Sunday’s game after O’Connell was hurt with 1:23 remaining in the third quarter. Ridder completed 12 of his 18 passes for 101 yards, but couldn’t rally the Raiders to a win.

The 25-year-old is one of the few healthy quarterbacks in the organization at the moment. Quarterback Gardner Minshew was lost for the season after suffering a broken collarbone in the Raiders’ loss to the Broncos on Nov. 24. The only other quarterback the team has is undrafted rookie Carter Bradley, who is on the practice squad.

Ridder hopes that gives him the opportunity to start next week.

“I’m excited and ready to go,” he said. “The team and the game we’re going to play next week is going to be big. It’s a huge stage, but this team is ready to just get a win. Ready to put four quarters together, 60 minutes together and at the end of the day put up more points than the other team. How we do that? We have to figure that out.”

Bowers breaks record

Rookie tight end Brock Bowers was held to three catches for 49 yards Sunday, but he still made some history.

His 12-yard reception in the final minute gave him 87 this season, the most-ever by a rookie tight end.

Bowers said he sees some of his statistical milestones on social media and on television, but he hasn’t been focused on individual accolades.

“We’re just trying to win games,” Bowers said.

Ridder, who threw Bowers the record-setting pass, was more willing to sing Bowers’ praises.

“He’s just a heck of a player and it shows on the field,” Ridder said. “The way he works every day is one of the best of the rookies I’ve seen. It just shows every Sunday.”

College reunion

Bowers was the intended receiver on an interception O’Connell threw to Buccaneers rookie safety Tykee Smith, one of Bowers’ former college teammates at Georgia.

“He saw a lot of (Bowers) at practice (in college),” Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles said of Smith. “I guess he gets bragging rights when they go back to Georgia.”

Bowers said he and Smith didn’t talk much leading up to the game, but they were able to catch up on the field. Smith, however, kept the trash-talking to a minimum after the interception.

“He was just playing to undercut the out route and I broke back in on my route and he was standing right there,” Bowers said. “Just kind of unfortunate.”

Chaisson makes another play

Defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson, a 2020 first-round pick by the Panthers, has been a solid find for the Raiders. The 25-year-old made a sensation play in the second quarter to intercept Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Chaisson was rushing the passer but recognized Mayfield was throwing to the flat. He reversed course, tipped the ball and caught it while falling to the ground.

“That was crazy,” cornerback Jack Jones said. “That has to make ESPN top 10 or something.”

The play came at a key time for the Raiders. It came on Tampa Bay’s third drive, after the Buccaneers had scored touchdowns their first two.

“I think it was a needed play, for sure,” Chaisson said. “We’ve been starving for some turnovers on defense, so I’m glad we got a chance to up our numbers in that category. We’ve been emphasizing those because they change the trajectory of games, for sure. Our biggest thing was to get the ball back to the offense.”

The Raiders forced three turnovers in the second quarter after grabbing just five takeaways their first 12 games. It was the first time they had three turnovers in a quarter since a home game against Denver in 2020.

It all started with Chaisson’s pick. He also finished with a half-sack, making him the fourth Raiders player to have an interception and a sack involvement in the same game in the last 10 seasons.

“Crazy play,” defensive end Maxx Crosby said. “He’s continuously gotten better for us. A guy like that who was written off, seeing him make big plays is really cool to see. He’s been awesome since he got here.”

Moving on up

Sunday at least was a good day for the Raiders’ draft positioning.

The Jaguars won at Tennessee. That means the only two-win teams in the NFL are the Raiders and the Giants. The Raiders’ strength of schedule is worse than New York’s, meaning they are currently projected to have the No. 1 pick in the draft, according to Tankathon.

Contact Adam Hill at [email protected]. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.