The Las Vegas Raiders expressed their desire to select a starting quarterback after their second preseason game. If they stick to that, they could be making a decision without a definitive answer.
Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O’Connell are battling for the job, and neither has made the choice obvious based on their preseason performance. O’Connell edged out Minshew on Saturday night, but just when it looked like he might win the job, he threw a bad interception for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. That could send the Raiders’ coaches back to square one. We’ll see.
O’Connell started last week’s preseason opener, and Minshew started Saturday against the Dallas Cowboys. It was a chance for Minshew to shine, as the Cowboys didn’t have a starter on defense. Minshew failed to impress.
Minshew was inconsistent. He completed 10 of 21 passes for 95 yards in just over a quarter of work. His night started ominously. Minshew’s first drive nearly ended with a fourth-down interception. He never appeared to see the defender underneath him, even though the pass dropped.
The second drive started better, with Minshew passing the ball to Tre Tucker for a 48-yard gain. But the drive stalled there, in part because Minshew hesitated on third down and threw wildly and incompletely.
On the next possession, Minshew threw a solid third-down pass to tight end Michael Mayer and then connected with Tucker on another third down. Then, on third-and-11, he threw a pass to a well-defended receiver and was lucky the ball fell incomplete.
Minshew played into the second quarter and got a fourth possession. There was a chance for a big play, but a miscommunication with Tucker, as the receiver turned inside but the pass went to his outside shoulder, led to an incomplete pass. Then, Minshew’s pass on third down was tipped and the Raiders punted. The good news for Minshew was that the Cowboys fumbled the punt and the Raiders recovered it right away. That drive didn’t go anywhere either. A screen pass on third-and-6 bounced incomplete as Minshew threw it into traffic. The Raiders tried to go for it on fourth down, likely as a test for Minshew, and their pass was too high for another incomplete pass.
In last week’s opener, Minshew probably outperformed O’Connell, though O’Connell also had some positive plays. Minshew didn’t impress in his opportunity Saturday night, making Vegas’ decision that much tougher.
O’Connell came in after Minshew couldn’t convert his excellent field position into anything more than a field goal. His first pass was a sharp, accurate pass over the middle to Kristian Wilkerson for 14 yards. But that drive also stalled after a holding penalty on first down, and the Raiders kicked another field goal.
The Cowboys ran up a lot of the clock after that, putting the Raiders in the two-minute phase at the end of the first half. O’Connell had a chance to impress in that moment, but he threw three straight incomplete passes. His first pass wasn’t bad, but it got away from Wilkerson and he was under a lot of pressure on third down.
O’Connell led a nice offensive drive to start the second half. He connected with DJ Turner for a first down on fourth-and-2. He then connected with Harrison Bryant on a play-action pass for a 5-yard touchdown, though he threw an incomplete pass on the two-point conversion. Maybe that drive will be enough to earn O’Connell the starting job. It was the first positive drive the Raiders’ offense had all night.
O’Connell was leading another positive drive when he made a crushing mistake. He threw an interception to Cowboys cornerback Kemon Hall that was returned 69 yards for a touchdown. That was O’Connell’s final play of the night and he’ll stay with the Raiders’ coaching staff as they make a decision. O’Connell finished 14 of 20 passing for 96 yards.
Minshew was probably the better quarterback in the first preseason game. O’Connell was better in the second, though his interception ruined an otherwise solid night. Now we’ll see if the Raiders are really ready to name a starter for the regular season.