The Las Vegas Raiders were riding high entering Week 3 after completing a 10-point road comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2.
They fell in Week 3 at home, losing 36-22 to the previously 0-2 Carolina Panthers right after their opponent drafted 2023 first overall pick quarterback Bryce Young earlier in the week. Veteran Las Vegas senior quarterback Gardner Minshew put together a mediocre performance with 214 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 18 of 28 passing.
Head coach Antonio Pierce inserted backup Aidan O’Connell, the team’s 2023 fourth-round pick who started 10 games last season, for the team’s final drive, and he rewarded his head coach’s faith. O’Connell completed 9 of his 12 passes for 82 yards, including an eight-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tre Tucker to cap his day. the right to beat Tucker during the run. Pierce said Monday, via The Athletic, that he put O’Connell in the game to see if he could give the offense a “spark.”
O’Connell did just that, which is why Pierce is considering a quarterback switch from Minshew to O’Connell.
“I think we have to get along with the players and just evaluate everything from yesterday first,” Pierce said Monday, via ESPN.
The Raiders signed Minshew to a two-year, $25 million contract in free agency this past offseason, but he threw for exactly one touchdown and one interception in each of the first three games in 2024. Pierce originally named Minshew the starter over O’Connell after two weeks this past preseason, which at the time was somewhat surprising for a number of reasons. Minshew has typically thrived coming off the bench in a reserve capacity in previous years as he did after Anthony Richardson’s injury with the Colts last season. Additionally, O’Connell recorded a higher completion percentage and passer rating than Minshew in the preseason, and he is two years younger at age 26.
Gardner Minshew vs. Aidan O’Connell
First two weeks of 2024 pre-season
Comp Att | 16-33 | 21-29 |
Pass Yards | 212 | 172 |
Pass Yards/Att | 6.4 | 5.9 |
TD-INT | 1-0 | 1-1 |
Passer rating | 79.4 | 84.3 |
Las Vegas hosts the 1-2 Cleveland Browns in Week 4, a team that handed both the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants their only wins of the 2024 season.
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