AFC Notes: Aidan O’Connell, Russell Wilson, Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders

Broncos

Broncos QB Russell Wilson recalled his 46-yard touchdown pass to WR Courtland Sutton in Week 14’s win over the Chargers and thinks he’s developed good nonverbal and verbal communication with him. 

“I think the nonverbal communication is everything, obviously the verbal and the nonverbal,” Wilson said, via BroncosWire. “As we watch film and study film throughout the whole week and the offseason everything else, just talking about ball you know these guys. These receivers, tight ends and running backs everybody offensive minded guys are obsessed with the game and we get to play with guys like Sutton, who cares about the game. His intellectual understanding of what to do in certain situations. Really trying to create the script — because a scramble is going to happen in the game, especially when our line is blocking the way they did today. He thought top down and said let’s go deep, let’s take a shot. I tried to give him a chance and he made a great play.”

Chiefs

Chiefs OC Matt Nagy said WR Kadarius Toney‘s offsides penalty was a good teaching moment not only for the two of them, but for the offense as a whole.

“I think it’s a good teaching moment for all of us — for me as a coordinator, for all of us as coaches, for KT,” Nagy said, via PFT. “Obviously, none of it was intentional. I think that’s the frustrating part for all of us, is in a moment like that, you know KT didn’t do that maliciously or intentionally. It’s a big moment in the game, but it is what it is, and we’ve got to learn from that.”

Nagy emphasized finishing drives and that the team needed to do a better job of closing out games in the final minutes.

“Whether it’s the four-minute or the two-minute, behind or winning — we need to do that, we need to finish it,” Nagy said. “We can get caught up in being offsides and the play that was taken back, but let’s not get caught up on second-and-15, third-and-15, and fourth-and-15. We have a chance with a 1:12, with two timeouts down three, we’re going to at worst tie the game we need to go down and win the game. We didn’t do that, that’s the thing we have to take from this. If we want to be a championship, Super Bowl-level team, there’s got to be a mindset of finishing. It’s not a criticism, it’s just where we’re at.”

Raiders

Raiders rookie QB Aidan O’Connell said he’s proud of how far the rookie class has come during their first year together.

“I came in with those guys and we were talking today and yesterday about how far we’ve come and how different it is from when we first got here,” O’Connell said, via PFT. “The NFL is really hard and it’s hard in your first year. To be able to go through it with those guys and share similar experiences has been awesome.”