Things have gone from bad to worse after the Raiders took a gamble on Minshew. Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew II suffered a season-ending broken collarbone in Sunday’s 29-19 NFC West loss to the Denver Broncos, NFL Network reports.
The injury leaves the cupboard bare at the most important position in all of sports, the Raiders left with just Desmond Ridder at quarterback. The Raiders placed Aidan O’Connell on injured reserve in October with a fractured thumb. O’Connell was reportedly given an initial timeline of 4-6 weeks to make his way back on to the field. The Athletic reports that O’Connell may be back for Friday’s game against the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.
In March, Minshew inked a two-year, $25 million contract with $15 million guaranteed, after playing last year with the Indianapolis Colts and leading them to a 9-8 record, suffered his injury on the Raiders’ next to last drive with 2:57 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Broncos leading by a touchdown, 26-19. Cody Barton and Jonathon Cooper combined to take down Minshew on the first play of the drive. Barton’s tackle drove Minshew’s left (non-throwing) shoulder into the turf.
Minshew was in obvious pain after the play and walked off the field with the assistance of athletic trainers. Ridder finished the game at quarterback. He fumbled the rock while getting sacked on his second drop back. The Broncos recovered and converted the giveaway into a field goal to push their lead to ten with 1:56 remaining.
“It doesn’t look good,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said, who is on the hot seat, after Las Vegas dropped its seventh straight game to fall to 2-9.
Embed from Getty ImagesWith Minshew sidelined, the Raiders, as previously mentioned are left at quarterback with Ridder, signed off the Arizona Cardinals practice squad Oct. 22; O’Connell, now eligible to come off injured reserve after suffering a broken thumb on his right (passing) hand Oct. 20; and former Toledo and South Alabama quarterback Carter Bradley, a practice squad member. He has never thrown an NFL pass.
“I’ve been here almost a month and how I feel comfortable with the offense, I’m ready to go,” said Ridder, who completed 50%, 5 of 10 passes for 64 yards against the Broncos but lost a fumble on a sack on his first series. “So, whatever that situation may be, it’s not up to me — it’s up to the higher power. But I’m ready for any situation there may be.”
Las Vegas has a short week and a tough task ahead, with a road game Friday afternoon against the 10-1 Kansas City Chiefs.
“We’re going to need somebody, right?” Pierce said. “We’re running out of quarterbacks, too, now, so we’ll see what happens [Monday]. But obviously, it looks like [O’Connell is] getting better. He threw a little bit in practice this week.
“Obviously, we’ve got a short week — play on Friday, travel on Thursday — so we have to make that decision very quickly.”
With the Raiders loss on Sunday, they careened even further out of the playoff picture. Minshew’s injury will instead impact the race for the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. The Raiders are tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Giants for the worst record in the NFL.
