The Las Vegas Raiders took the field for their second preseason game on Saturday against the Dallas Cowboys, and the main focus was the quarterback competition between Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell, which figured to be in its final act after head coach Antonio Pierce said a decision could come down after the game.
Both quarterbacks were subpar and disappointing on Saturday, as O’Connell and Minshew led a combined one touchdown drive in three-quarters of action.
Outside of a deep completion to Tre Tucker, Minshew had an underwhelming showing. The 28-year-old missed multiple crucial throws that would’ve extended drives and looked out of sync. The veteran also nearly threw multiple picks and completed under 50% of his passes for just 91 passing yards on 21 attempts.
O’Connell wasn’t much better in the first half, as the former fourth-round pick had just 39 yards and a 50% completion rate in two drives. Despite a rough start, the former Purdue standout flashed his potential to begin the second half.
Aidan O’Connell vs. Gardner Minshew pic.twitter.com/szT3bxLN0M
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) August 18, 2024
O’Connell’s strong connection with DJ Turner was evident on the opening drive of the third quarter, as the pair hooked up for multiple critical third- and fourth-down conversions. The drive ended with a five-yard touchdown pass from O’Connell to Harrison Bryant, which was the Raiders’ only touchdown drive of the game.
The second-year signal caller’s touchdown drive was impressive, but just when we thought he had finally run away with the job, he failed to build off it, tossing a pick-six to Cowboys defensive back Kemon Hall. O’Connell was completely baited into the throw and made a big mistake on his final pass of the night.
Pierce and his coaching staff were looking for a final answer on Saturday regarding the QB competition, but as has been the case all offseason, neither quarterback created a ton of separation.
O’Connell seemed destined to run away with the job after a terrific start to the second half, but the pick-six soured his night. Minshew, on the other hand, put together an awful performance overall against Dallas.
Pierce has to make a decision sooner rather than later, but neither guy instills much confidence. That said, O’Connell probably did enough to secure the starting job over Minshew on Saturday night.
