Antonio Pierce said everything was on the table for a potential quarterback change for the Las Vegas Raiders’ loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Pierce decided to stick with Gardner Minshew for Week 4, but that doesn’t mean the job will continue to be his if the offense can’t score against the Cleveland Browns.
Minshew is 73-of-99 passing for 747 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions so far this season. More importantly, he’s 1-2 as a starter in Las Vegas.
Will the Las Vegas Raiders bench Gardner Minshew?
Dan Graziano of ESPN recently wrote about why Minshew was his first choice to guess what NFL quarterback would be the next to get benched.
“When Minshew won a training camp battle with Aidan O’Connell for the starting job, it seemed like you couldn’t rule out the possibility of the two flip-flopping back and forth all season,” Graziano wrote. “The Raiders played a lousy game and lost to the Panthers on Sunday, and coach Antonio Pierce was clearly not happy afterward.
“I’m not saying Minshew was one of the guys Pierce was accusing of making “business decisions” in that game, but he is 24th in QBR (44.1) through three weeks. We often see teams make a change at starting QB just to shake things up, even when it’s not all the quarterback’s fault. I wouldn’t be surprised to see O’Connell starting soon.”
It’s curious why Aidan O’Connell isn’t starting in Week 5
The decision to start Minshew over O’Connell was questionable in the preseason. Minshew had more experience than O’Connell, but the second-year quarterback had a higher ceiling than a veteran journeyman.
Minshew’s results so far this season aren’t really surprising. That’s who Minshew is.
Related: Antonio Pierce blasts effort from team in Week 3 loss
One has to wonder how bad O’Connell has been in practice lately for Pierce not to give him the start. Does the locker room feel Minshew gives the Raiders the best chance to win?
O’Connell has played briefly this season and came in against the Panthers to give the offense a “spark” in Week 3. He’s 9-of-12 passing for 82 yards and a touchdown.
O’Connell’s play in relief of Minshew makes it even more curious why the Raiders haven’t officially made a change.
Will it happen before Week 5?
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