LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said team decision-makers will “sleep on it and make a decision within the next couple of days” on who will be the starting quarterback in the season opener — Gardner Minshew or Aidan O’Connell.
Both quarterbacks had five series each in a 27-12 preseason loss to the Dallas Cowboys, who played just two starters Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium.
Minshew started for the Raiders and was able to complete only 10 of 21 passes for 95 yards, although he did manage to send a deep ball for 48 yards to receiver Trey Tucker.
While O’Connell was more efficient, completing 14 of 20 attempts for 96 yards with a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Harrison Bryant, he also threw an ugly 69-yard pass to Cowboys cornerback Kemon Hall on his final pass of the game, the first play of the fourth quarter.
“It’s bad,” O’Connell said. “It’s bad to throw in a tackle in general, but to have it be the last play is definitely tough. It’s going to be remembered, but it’s football. You’re going to learn from it, move on, and I’m not going to make that mistake again.”
O’Connell was moving quickly until the ball was intercepted. Pierce, who will consult with general manager Tom Telesco and offensive coordinator Luke Getsey, said “everything” will be evaluated, adding that “you can’t have the good without the bad” when making a decision.
“I’m going to go back to the organizational practices, training camp, and the two preseason games,” Pierce said. “There’s going to be a lot of factors, right? Control of the offense, the operational part, the efficiency. The mistakes are big — and it shows — and taking care of the ball is going to be important for our team.
“And then… sitting there with Telesco and Luca over the next couple of days and deciding who’s going to get us off to a fast start to get us to where we want to be in the first quarter of the season.”
Minshew said he and O’Connell have enough positives to make it a “tough decision” for Pierce.
“It was a very competitive camp, and the competition was close the entire time,” Minshew said.
Raiders Pro Bowl forward Max Crosby said he’s watching the competition closely.
“The best man is going to win, and I know that decision is going to come down here soon,” Crosby said. “I just want the best man to lead us, and this will work itself out.”
“Obviously you saw what our plan was tonight – throw the ball around the court, let these guys show what they can do, and then we’ll talk about it,” Pierce said.
But there wasn’t much to talk about, as Pierce lamented that none of the quarterbacks could win the job, a hope that had been voiced since the start of training camp.
“I think everyone wants to see a player who takes it and says, ‘Hey, I’m your guy,’ and obviously that’s not the case, so we’ll have to make a decision and we’ll live with it and support whatever Raiders midfielder we have in the future,” Pierce said.
All of the Raiders’ starting players played on both sides of the ball against the Cowboys except receiver Davante Adams and rookie Brock Bowers.
While Pierce said Powers had been struggling with foot pain, Adams said: “He had a weird movement that made him feel pain. He missed training on Thursday. As I said, if a player is not fit, I wouldn’t take any chances. It’s not worth it. He’ll be back in training on Tuesday.”
“If I had to choose, I wouldn’t play” in the preseason, Adams, who missed some time in camp to be present for the birth of his son, said earlier in the week.
Pierce added that none of the Las Vegas starters will participate in the Raiders’ preseason finale on Friday against the San Francisco 49ers.
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