If Antonio Pierce was looking for a quarterback to take the lead in the Raiders quarterback competition this weekend, he might be coming home from Minnesota a little disappointed.
The good news is the issue on Saturday afternoon was that both Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew played well. If one quarterback pulled ahead of the other, it wasn’t by much… and that dynamic seems to have become a trend in the Raiders quarterback competition.
The Raiders listed both O’Connell and Minshew at the top of their depth chart this week, and it’s hard to imagine Saturday’s game did anything to break the gridlock.
Still, there were a few takeaways from the game…
Aidan O’Connell made the plays he was supposed to make.
Maybe he could have stepped up in the pocket a little better on the sack, but other than that, O’Connell sat in the pocket today and took what the defense was giving him. He seemed to make the correct reads and was accurate with his throws.
If you prefer more off-script plays from the quarterback, O’Connell probably isn’t your guy. He’s going to take a few sacks, but generally protect the football.
That’s what he did tonight.
Gardner Minshew showed good awareness, excellent touch on his passes.
Minshew looked like the player the Raiders brought him here to be. He has more bounce to his step than O’Connell and was able to make some very high-level throws.
There’s an element to Minshew’s game that gives the Raiders a chance for a big play every snap. If the Raiders need 30 points a game, Minshew probably gives them the best chance to do that. If Pierce wants to prioritize controlling the clock and avoid turnovers, O’Connell might be the guy.
The Raiders offense has the potential to be very good this year.
Pierce told ESPN that the Raiders offense probably isn’t going to be a juggernaut this year, but the receiving talent the Raiders have on the roster can keep up with anyone in the league. Jakobi Meyers looked like a Pro Bowl receiver against the Vikings and Brock Bowers was exactly as advertised.
Davante Adams makes the offense nearly unstoppable if the Raiders can get even slightly above average quarterback play.
Who is the starting quarterback going to be in week one?
There are still two preseason games left to evaluate, and if the competition stays close, it’s probably going to come down to which style of quarterback play the coaching staff prefers.
It’s hard to make a prediction when the quarterbacks play as well as they did on Saturday, but if Minshew turns in three consecutive preseason games with 17 points in his only quarter on the field, how can he not win the job?
On a related note, the Vikings broadcast crew definitely sounded like they thought Minshew was the better quarterback… but they also spewed a lot of nonsense during the broadcast, so we won’t put too much stock in their opinions.
x: @raidersbeat