ASSOCIATED PRESS
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew (15) practices during NFL football training camp at Jack R. Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa, Calif., Wednesday, July 24, 2024.
Monday, Aug. 12, 2024 | 2 a.m.
The Raiders’ quarterback battle between Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew has been even and coach Antonio Pierce is ready for the competition to end.
He said Sunday that he hopes to name a starter after Las Vegas hosts the Dallas Cowboys in a preseason game Saturday. The Raiders will then have just one exhibition left, Aug. 23 against the San Francisco 49ers, before the season begins.
“We’ve got to get ready to play football,” Pierce said. “We’ve got enough film. We’ll have two games in to evaluate.”
He said he hasn’t determined which quarterback will start, but like in Saturday’s 24-23 preseason loss at Minnesota each will get a quarter of action.
O’Connell, who went 5-4 after becoming the starter last season, opened the game against the Vikings behind center. He drove Las Vegas 83 yards on 15 plays before the series stalled on a sack and resulted in a field goal. O’Connell completed 7 of 9 passes for 76 yards.
“I think it was solid, but a few things I need to work out,” O’Connell said after the game. “It will never be perfect, no matter how much you play. I definitely know I have a few things that need to be corrected.”
Minshew, who nearly led the Indianapolis Colts into the playoffs last season, played the second quarter, leading the offense to 17 points. He finished 6 of 12 for 117 yards and a 20-yard touchdown pass to DJ Turner.
“I’ve never been on a team where one quarterback plays the whole time (in preseason),” Minshew said. “There’s going to be an opportunity. We both have to hang in there and lead the offense when we’re in.”
By the time both quarterbacks left the game, the Raiders had a 20-7 lead.
“I thought both guys were efficient,” Pierce said. “I thought there were some opportunities that Minshew made down the field that were really good. When it’s a clean pocket, you can see what this offense can be with both guys.
“I thought Aidan did a really good job of being backed down in the red zone and Gardner with the two-minute drill. Everything we wanted to get out of preseason (opener), we got.”
Three key pieces were missing offensively.
Star wide receiver Davante Adams remained on paternity leave for the birth of his son, but Pierce said he was back with the team.
Pierce also was hopeful two potential starting offensive linemen will return next week. Left tackle Kolton Miller and left guard Jackson Powers-Johnson have been on the physically unable to perform list. Miller is rated by Pro Football Focus as the NFL’s 10th-best tackle, and Powers-Johnson was a second-round draft pick this year out of Oregon.
Pierce said if he had a do-over against the Vikings, he probably wouldn’t have used all his timeouts at the end of the game.
He called his first timeout with 49 seconds left and the Raiders ahead 23-21. The Vikings had third-and-3 at Las Vegas’ 39-yard line, and Pierce hoped to force a field goal and get the ball back in time to try to score, if necessary.
But Minnesota picked up the first down. Pierce then used his final two timeouts even though he couldn’t prevent the Vikings from running down the clock to kick the winning field goal, which is what happened.
“Lesson learned,” said Pierce, who is entering his first season as the full-time coach after going 5-4 as the interim last year. “We thought maybe it would play out a little differently.”