Following the Raiders 22-10 loss to the Chargers in their season opener, the Raiders PR staff put out a stat that, while true, could definitely be classified as spin.
QB Gardner Minshew II completed 25-of-33 (75.8%) pass attempts today.
His 75.8 completion percentage is the highest mark by a QB in their Raiders debut in franchise history (min. 30 attempts).
— Raiders PR (@RAIDERS_PR) September 9, 2024
Why is that spin? Well, because completing 75% of one’s passes isn’t a tremendous accomplishment when two of said passes on average may not even have been enough for a first down.
So, while 75% may be the best in a narrow scope (Raiders QBs in their debut with the team), the air yards stat is the worst in a broader scope. That broader scope being every other starting QB in the NFL last week.
The best and worst starting QBs in Week 1 by air yards per attempt via @TruMediaSports:
1. Anthony Richardson, 16.4
32. Gardner Minshew, 4.5We are living in a different world now.
A world where the roof has to come off at home games.
— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) September 11, 2024
This is not to disparrage Minshew. But to keep perspective here. It wasn’t that he was missing everything downfield. He threw some longer passes. But it’s important not to compare completion percentage without context.
Completing a dump pass to a running back is not the same as a deep throw or a mid-range throw into a tight window. And until this offense has a few more deep and intermediate completions, it’s not going to sustain a lot of drives and score many more points than they did in the opener.
