Through the first three weeks of the NFL season, Gardner Minshew wasn’t the reason the Las Vegas Raiders were struggling. However, in Week 4, he played his worst game of the season despite the team winning.
In the 20-16 win, Minshew had just 130 passing yards with no touchdowns and missed a lot of open receivers throughout the contest. Even though the Raiders are 2-2 right now, Minshew’s leash might not be that long. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler shared some key insight into the quarterback situation.
“Expect Gardner Minshew to remain the Raiders’ starting quarterback, but Las Vegas also will be nimble there,” Fowler wrote in an October 2 column. “The Raiders are taking the season by quarters, and they knew Minshew would be better for the first quarter because of the elite pass rushes they faced. He’s more mobile than Aidan O’Connell. Who’s better for the second and third quarters? Minshew’s play could determine that, given he will probably remain the starter after Sunday’s win over Cleveland. But this situation seems very fluid.”
It’s Minshew’s job for now and a win over the Denver Broncos in Week 5 would likely keep it that way, but he needs to play a lot better. The offense is only averaging 19.5 points a game and a switch to Aidan O’Connell will be realistic if that number doesn’t improve.
Week 7 Could Be Best Time for QB Change
The Raiders are facing two of the three best defenses in the NFL in the next two weeks. The Broncos are only allowing 13.8 points a game and have 16 sacks, which is the second-best mark in the league.
In Week 6, the team faces the Pittsburgh Steelers, which is allowing 13.3 points a game. Their sack numbers aren’t as impressive (11 on the year), but they also have T.J. Watt, who might be the best pass rusher in the NFL. These upcoming games are not an ideal time to make a quarterback change.
If the Raiders come out of this stretch 2-4, Week 7 might be the perfect time to make a change. The team will be headed to Los Angeles to face the Rams, which is a very friendly crowd for the Raiders. Plus, the Rams have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. They’re allowing 28.8 points per game and only have seven sacks. Without Aaron Donald, this team has virtually no pass rush. It would be a great time to put in O’Connell and see how he runs the offense ahead of a massive matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8.
The last starting quarterback to beat the Chiefs is O’Connell.
Is Aidan O’Connell an Upgrade?
The most popular player on a struggling team is the backup quarterback, but teams rarely play better when their Week 1 starter has to be benched. However, the Raiders’ situation is a bit different. O’Connell and Minshew were in a tight quarterback battle all offseason and the former started 10 games last season.
He could realistically jump back into the offense and only have minor growing pains. The problem is that he wasn’t consistent last season so there’s no reason to believe he’ll be more consistent this year. He’s a better passer than Minshew but he has no mobility whatsoever. At this point, Minshew hasn’t really shown to be that mobile either so O’Connell could be a decent upgrade if the offensive line keeps improving.
