For those following the Las Vegas Raiders training camp and and their lukewarm quarterback battle, a preseason-opening 24-23 loss to the Minnesota Vikings was far more exciting.
Aidan O'Connell kicked the game off with a 15-play, 83-yard drive that resulted in a field goal. On the next three possessions in the second quarter, Gardner Minshew II led the Raiders on three scoring drives: two touchdowns and a field goal. He finished the game 6-for-12 for 117 yards and a score. O'Connell was impressive, too, completing 7-for-9 for 76 yards.
After the game, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce, usually known for his fiery spirit and can-do words of wisdom, was more muted, via Vic Tafur of The Athletic.
“I thought the quarterbacks responded well,” Pierce said.
Through Raiders training camp, head coach Antonio Pierce has been ratcheting down expectations regardless of which quarterback emerged as the team's starter, as he explained in a report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
“We're probably not going to be, to be honest, a juggernaut offense,” Pierce said. “Would I love to be? Yeah. To sit here and say we're going to score 30 points a game, that's not realistic.”
The offense slowed to a crawl in the second half, and the Raiders attempted to get their running backs more involved. When the Vikings held the lead in the second half after back-to-back touchdown drives, third-string quarterback Anthony Brown was sporadic in his play, completing just one pass and falling victim to three sacks. A Minnesota field goal as time expired sealed the one-point victory.
Perhaps there's something Pierce can learn from Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell pumping the brakes on their rookie QB J.J. McCarthy after his convincing debut, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.
“Just another glorified, singular step in the process,” O'Connell said of McCarthy's debut.
Aidan O'Connell, Gardner Minshew II battle for QB1 job
Pierce wasn't wrong to say this offense isn't likely to be a juggernaut. The Raiders do have a formidable supporting cast. They have one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, Davante Adams. Zamir White is one of the more promising young running backs in the NFL. And it shouldn't be discounted that Las Vegas has the best up-and-coming tight-end duo between 2024 first-round pick Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer.
O'Connell does have Adams' blessing, although those kind words are now a few months old. The 2023 fourth-round choice did have a few impressive games to close out the season. He threw for 248 yards and four TDs in a 63-21 win over the Chargers. He then closed out the year with two TD passes in each of his final two games. The Raiders won three of their last four matchups, and all of those wins came against AFC West opponents.
Not to be outdone, Minshew pulled the Indianapolis Colts by their collar into a near-playoff miss, losing out on a postseason spot due to a tiebreaker. He finished the 2023 season with 3,305 passing yards, 15 TDs and nine INTs.
Does Pierce prefer the veteran leadership or “rizz” of Minshew? Or will he opt to give O'Connell more experience to see how far the development of the second-year signal-caller can go?
It's possible Pierce hasn't made a decision. He could allow the Raiders' preseason performances to make that decision. As a former defensive player, Pierce likely understands who the locker room believes in might be the deciding factor. In the next Raiders preseason matchup, Las Vegas hosts the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, August 17, at 10:00 p.m. EST.
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