As happy as Antonio Pierce was after his team came from behind to beat the Ravens in Baltimore, he was equally furious with their subsequent embarrassing defeat the the Panthers on Sunday.
Late in the game, with little chance of coming back, Pierce took out Minshew and put in Aidan O’Connell. He said it made the change in the hopes of bringing a spark. And, with the backdrop of garbage time, O’Connell drove the team down the field for a touchdown.
The next day, Pierce was non-comital on whether the job remains in the hands of Minshew going forward.
“We got to get with the players and evaluate everything from yesterday first,” said Pierce.
Gardner Minshew was heralded for his play late in the win in Baltimore and his head coach approved. But this is a ‘what have you done for me lately’.
In that regard, Minshew is coming off 22 of 36 for 214 yards, one touchdown and one interception and an 84.5 passer rating. While his potential replacement — and former starter — went 9 of 12 for 82 yards and a touchdown with a passer rating of 120.8.
It may be smart not to make a knee jerk reaction based on one game. And it would be a bit surprising to see Pierce pull the plug on Minshew so quickly. But it’s definitely a situation worth watching closely.
The Raiders will welcome the Cleveland Browns for Week 4 next Sunday.
