After an embarrassing 36-22 loss at home to the Carolina Panthers, the Las Vegas Raiders are 1-2. Gardner Minshew narrowly beat out Aidan O’Connell to win the starting quarterback job but he hasn’t done enough to keep the offense moving through three games.
This has led to many fans calling for O’Connell to take over the starting job. However, according to a September 23 X post from The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, the Raiders are planning to stick with Minshew for Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns.
Wide receiver Davante Adams wants Las Vegas to score points as much as anybody and he thinks it’s the right decision to keep Minshew in as the starter.
“You also don’t want your quarterback walking on eggshells because what message does that send Aidan [O’Connell] the moment they plug Gardner after three weeks of naming him the starter,” Adams said of the September 24 episode of “Up & Adams.” “It doesn’t give you a feel of security … it’s like having a girlfriend and you make her feel like every day she could be out the door. That’s not the feeling that she wants.
“I don’t you’re gonna get the best product out of your girl if she’s feeling like she’s gonna get kicked to the curb. I don’t think that’s the mentality we have as a team.”
Adams’ word means a lot to the Raiders offense so if he’s in favor of keeping Minshew as the starter, many of the players on the offense likely feel the same way.
How Long Is Gardner Minshew’s Leash?
Head coach Antonio Pierce has proven that he’s not afraid to make big changes if the team is losing. However, he’s shown that he doesn’t like to shake up the quarterback room too much. Even when O’Connell was struggling last season as the starter, Pierce never gave up on him.
With that in mind, Minshew will likely need to play very poorly for Pierce to make a change. So far, he’s been decent. He has a 73.7% completion percentage and is sixth in the NFL with 747 passing yards. The Raiders’ poor running game and offensive line play isn’t on Minshew. At the same time, he hasn’t done much to help the offense.
If Las Vegas falls to 1-3 and Minshew plays poorly, replacing him with O’Connell has to at least be considered. It’s better for a bad team to play a young quarterback to see what they can do than it is to play a veteran who might not even be on the roster next year.
Raiders Can’t Afford Another Home Loss
It’s one thing to get embarrassed on the road but to get blown out by a winless team on your home field is about as bad as it gets for an NFL team. The Raiders already have a hard time filling up Allegiant Stadium with home fans and that Panthers loss won’t make it any easier.
The team welcomes the 1-2 Browns to Las Vegas in Week 4 and another blowout loss could lead fans to check out for the rest of the season. That will only make winning games more difficult for a Raiders team that still hasn’t won over the Las Vegas fan base.
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