Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew is out for the season with a broken collarbone

On November 26, 2024By Pranco

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) – Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew will be out the rest of the season with a broken collarbone, coach Antonio Pierce said Monday.

Minshew was injured late in the fourth quarter during Sunday’s 29-19 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Pierce will have to decide whether Aidan O’Connell or Desmond Ridder will start Friday’s game in Kansas City.

The Raiders, who have lost seven straight games and dropped to 2-9, could use a spark. Minshew’s grip on the runway was tenuous even before he was injured. He threw 10 interceptions against just nine touchdown passes this season and lost four fumbles.

So it’s possible the coaching staff would have ultimately turned to O’Connell or Ridder.

O’Connell was on injured reserve with a broken thumb but had to return to practice on Monday. That gives the Raiders a three-week period to decide when to activate him. Until then, O’Connell will not count towards the selection.

Having a short week complicates things. Pierce said that would mean there wouldn’t be any typical practices, but there would be ways to gauge whether O’Connell is ready. Pierce said he would make sure O’Connell can grip the ball without pain.

“Taking a player who is still injured or injured will not benefit the player or our team,” Pierce said.

O’Connell started the last half of last season as a rookie and guided the Raiders to a 5-4 record. He lost the starting job to Minshew in the preseason, but regained it six games into the season. Then he was injured a week later against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Raiders could also turn to Ridder, who replaced Minshew when he was injured on Sunday. Las Vegas signed Ridder to Arizona’s practice squad on October 21. He started 13 games for Atlanta last season, passing for 2,836 yards and 12 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.

In relief of Minshew against the Broncos, Ridder completed 5 of 10 passes for 64 yards. He led the Raiders on a last-ditch drive, taking them to the Denver 1-yard line before the game ended.

“He’s a competitor,” Pierce said. “Obviously he was dealt a tough hand. He was thrown into the fire with no reps, but he did move the ball upfield.”

The Raiders could also look at the newly available Daniel Jones, although Pierce questioned the idea, calling it the “third and fourth” option. However, Pierce said general manager Tom Telesco would do due diligence.

Jones was released by the New York Giants on Friday. He was the sixth pick in the 2019 NFL draft and went 24-44-1 as a starter. The Giants signed Jones to a four-year contract worth $160 million in March 2023.

What works

DE Tyree Wilson is starting to live up to his status as the 2023 No. 7 overall draft pick. He had a sack and two tackles for loss. After spending the first part of the season without a sack, Wilson has three in the past four games.

What needs help

The Raiders scored a touchdown on just one of five trips to the red zone against Denver, settling for three field goals and a run that reached the 1-yard line. They had three such trips in the second quarter, scoring 13 points and going into halftime with a 13-9 lead. Las Vegas ranks 25th in the league with only half of its red-zone drives ending in TDs.

Stock up

WR Jakobi Meyers had his best statistical game since the pandemic-interrupted 2020 season, catching 10 passes for 121 yards. Meyers had 12 catches for 169 yards for the New England Patriots against the New York Jets in 2020.

Stock down

TE Brock Meyers has jumped into the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation and the Broncos responded by sending him several notices. That included placing CB Pat Surtain II on Bowers. He caught just four passes on 10 targets for 38 yards. That could provide a roadmap for future opponents, but the extra attention also contributed to Meyers’ big day.

Injury report

There are questions about the readiness of RBs Alexander Mattison (ankle) and Zamir White (quadriceps) and CBs Nate Hobbs (ankle) and Jakorian Bennett (shoulder).

Key number

11 — The Raiders are the third team to trail by double digits at some point in each of their first 11 games of a season. The others were the 1986 Indianapolis Colts and the 1972 Patriots. Pierce and then-Colts coach Rod Dohower are the only coaches to lead a team through such a journey. The Patriots fired John Mazur nine games into the 1972 season.

The Raiders are the last opposing team to win in Kansas City, and now they get a chance to do so again when the teams face off on Black Friday.