Talking the Raiders with Levi Edwards

Each week, Colts.com will speak with a writer who covers the team the Colts are set to play that upcoming week.

In Week 17, the Colts are facing the Las Vegas Raiders at Lucas Oil Stadium. To gain more insight, we caught up with Levi Edwards, the digital team reporter for Raiders.com.

Colts.com: With the Raiders’ Christmas win over the Kansas City Chiefs, not only does it keep the team’s playoff hopes alive, but it also gives interim head coach Antonio Pierce arguably the biggest win of his tenure. What have been the biggest differences in the team since Pierce stepped in for Josh McDaniels in early November?

Levi Edwards: I wouldn’t necessary call this a difference, but the energy in the locker room has been amplified. Pierce has preached playing with energy and passion and the players have been receptive to his message, especially considering he’s a former Pro Bowl linebacker who has won a lot of games as a player himself.

Colts.com: Another change the Raiders made was benching Jimmy Garoppolo in favor of rookie Aidan O’Connell. How would you evaluate the rookie through his first eight career starts?

Levi Edwards: He’s been a work in progress, but the keyword is progress which we’ve seen through his eight starts. His accuracy has been on display since the preseason, but his biggest area of improvement has been limiting turnovers and pocket awareness. His best moment yet came in Week 15 against the Chargers, throwing four touchdowns en route to the Raiders’ franchise record 63-point win.

Colts.com: One of the benefits of O’Connell’s job is that he has playmakers like Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams to get the ball to. Though both players have seen a dip in production since last season, they’re still two players that defenses have to be aware of at all times. How big is their presence for the offense?

Levi Edwards: Their presence remains as big as ever. While the Raiders offense is predicated around the two…