There isn’t a full-fledged quarterback debate in Las Vegas right now.
Only one week after an outstanding victory over the Baltimore Ravens, the Las Vegas Raiders suffered a humiliating setback to the Carolina Panthers. The Raiders lost 36-22 at home against the Andy Dalton-led Panthers, who had a 27-7 lead after three quarters.
While the Raiders had a number of obvious faults in the game, one notable choice by head coach Antonio Pierce occurred after the Raiders cut the advantage to 33-15. They got the ball back with just over nine minutes left and had a chance to make it a two-score game, but quarterback Gardner Minshew threw an interception on the second play.
Pierce decided to make a change right away, bringing in backup quarterback and 2023 starting Aidan O’Connor. He addressed the decision, as ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez pointed out.
“The game was kind of out of hand and we’ve got two quarterbacks that battled,” says Pierce. “[So let’s] let the other guy go in there and see what he can do for a little bit.”
While the Raiders are 1-2 on the season after this loss, there is no indication that Pierce intends to shake things up at quarterback.
Raiders’ offensive woes emphasized by the underutilization of Davante Adams.
Minshew has completed a high percentage of his throws (73.7%) through three games, but he has only thrown three touchdown passes and three interceptions. He and O’Connell, who the team selected in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, battled for the starting job throughout training camp, with Minshew winning out late in the preseason. In 11 games last season, O’Connell completed 62.1% of his passes for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
The Raiders offence as a whole has left a much to be desired after three games, with the failure to consistently get star wide receiver Davante Adams going being the main concern. Unsurprisingly, Pierce and company’s lone victory this season included Adams’ greatest performance, as he caught nine passes for 110 yards and a touchdown.
If the Raiders are unable to regularly put the ball in the hands of their best offensive weapon, something must change fast. If not, this season could become ugly quickly with a tough stretch coming up, as the Raiders face the Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, and Miami Dolphins beginning in Week 6.
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