The Las Vegas Raiders suffered their third loss in the 2024 NFL season when they played the Denver Broncos in Week 5 on Sunday. Unhappy with Gardner Minshew‘s performance in the Mile High City, head coach Antonio Pierce decided to bench the quarterback late in the third quarter.
The 28-year-old was having a rough day in Denver, with the Raiders trailing 20-10 at that point after going scoreless in the second and third quarter. Before leaving the field, Minshew completed 12 of 17 passes for 137 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, including a 100-yard pick six by Pat Surtain.
This underwhelming outing seems to put Minshew’s job at risk, but the Mississippi native made it clear to Pierce he’ll accept whatever the coach deems best for the Raiders.
“It is what it is. Try to help the team, whatever I can. Try to still be an Aidan’s ear, tell him things I’ve been seeing and keep providing a positive presence on the sideline,” Minshew said of Aidan O’Connell, who replaced him in Denver. “At the end of the day, no matter what my role [is] on the team, I’m going to try and help the team any way I can. That starts getting back in the building tomorrow and getting back to work.”
Quarterback Gardner Minshew #15 of the Las Vegas Raiders warms up before a preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium on August 23, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
O’Connell, who finished the 2023 NFL season as the Raiders’ starting quarterback in his rookie year, completed 10 of 20 passes for 94 yards and an interception on Sunday’s 18-34 loss against the Broncos.
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Pierce uncertain on whether Minshew or O’Connell will be Raiders’ QB1
While Minshew getting benched last time out makes many wonder whether the Raiders will make a change at quarterback, Pierce has yet to decide who will be under center in Week 6 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Yeah, just keep evaluating the film, evaluating everything from scheme, players — everything,” Pierce told reporters on Monday, via Pro Football Talk. “So, we’re still doing that upstairs, currently.”
In four weeks at the helm of the Raiders’ offense in 2024, Minshew has thrown for 1,014 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions, recording a 70.7 completion percentage. O’Connell, on the other hand, has a 59.4 completion percentage after throwing for 176 yards with a touchdown and an interception in two appearances in 2024.
Pierce, however, made sure to show some praise for O’Connell, who put up 2,218 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns and 7 interceptions in 10 games as a starter in 2023: “Aiden understands, is a cerebral player, knows where the ball needs to go. So, I’ve seen enough of Aiden and a lot this year — I know what to expect when Aiden gets in the game.”
