One day after his Raiders dropped their home opener to the lowly Panthers, coach Antonio Pierce briefly opened the door for a potential change under center.
Pierce told reporters Monday that he wouldn’t rule out a quarterback change from Gardner Minshew to Aidan O'Connell after the former was replaced in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 36-22 defeat by the latter.
“You look at how the game went, down by two scores or so, let Aidan come in and see what he can do with the offense, move it,” Pierce said, explaining the in-game decision. “We’re just trying to look for a spark.”
Asked specifically whether Minshew, who was signed this offseason and then won the job over the incumbent O’Connell in the summer, was still Las Vegas’ guy under center, Pierce was noncommittal.
“I think we have got to get with the players and evaluate everything from yesterday first,” the Raiders coach said.
Later Monday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Raiders are in fact sticking with Minshew as their starting QB.
In his third game as Raiders starter, Minshew was 18-of-28 for 214 yards, a touchdown and an interception in 11 drives, five of which produced zero first downs. The sixth-year QB was replaced by O’Connell with 4:47 remaining and Las Vegas down 36-15. With the game all but over, O’Connell proceeded to lead Las Vegas on a 3:51 touchdown drive, completing nine of 12 passes for 82 yards and the TD to Tre Tucker.
On the season, Minshew is 73-of-99 passing (a career-high 73.7 completion percentage) for 747 yards, three scores and three picks. He’s just one week removed from leading the Raiders to their first win of the season in stirring comeback fashion over Baltimore.
But after a disappointing defeat to a previously awful Panthers team during which he said his players made “business decisions” — comments that he did not back down from on Monday — Pierce was apparently considering all options at every position to jumpstart his 1-2 squad.
“It’s football,” Pierce said Monday. “After a loss like that, things need to change.”
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