The Las Vegas Raiders offence has struggled all season, with much of the blame falling on poor quarterback play. Gardner Minshew should not be starting, and it became increasingly evident with each passing week.
Following a devastating Week 5 defeat to the Denver Broncos, which was mostly due to a Minshew pick-six at the one-yard line, the Raiders chose to turn to Aidan O’Connell. Throughout training camp and the preseason, the two quarterbacks battled closely, with Minshew narrowly winning.
However, it was so close that many expected O’Connell to start if Minshew struggled. That’s exactly what occurred. While O’Connell is delighted to start, he understands that he must perform well or he will be benched again.
“I definitely know that the job is fluid, and so I’m just trying to do my best, really every day,” O’Connell told reporters. “now, I’m focused on now and not thinking about any future days. I have to focus on what we’re working on today, attempt to improve, and approach each day in the same way. And that is difficult to do. Your brain wants to travel backwards and forwards, but I believe that focusing on the task at hand is the best thing I can do.”
O’Connell cannot perform much worse than Minshew, who is ranked 27th in QBR this season. He does have certain weapons to use. He already had a good chemistry with Jakobi Meyers from last season, and rookie tight end Brock Bowers appears unguardable.
If the offensive line can consistently provide him a clear pocket, he should be a net plus for the offence. However, the offensive line is injured and doing poorly. O’Connell may need to get the ball out fast, since he is unlikely to take off and run with it.
Leave a Reply