Gardner Minshew didn’t start for the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7, but that didn’t stop him from totaling four turnovers.
Although the Raiders finished with a 2-4 record through six weeks, the team was far from ready to call it a season. A game at SoFi Stadium against the Los Angeles Rams, who were missing star receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, presented a perfect opportunity to hover right back around .500.
And, although the contest remained tight all the way through, Las Vegas was unable to overcome their four offensive turnovers.
First-year Raider Alexander Mattison rushed for 92 yards on 23 attempts. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers hauled in 10 passes for 93 yards, breaking the NFL record for most receptions by a rookie tight end through the first seven games of their career.
Defensively, Maxx Crosby got in the sack column and safety Tre’von Moehrig nearly joined him with a hit on Matthew Stafford that forced a fourth down. Both Moehrig and cornerback Nate Hobbs made tackles in the backfield to end drives, and Hobbs was able to take a pass the other way after linebacker Robert Spillane put it up in the air.
In addition, the Raiders totaled 51 more passing yards than the Rams as well as seven more on the ground. Las Vegas moved the chains five more times than Los Angeles, winning the time of possession by over seven minutes.
Sounds like a recipe for success, right? And it would be, had quarterback Gardner Minshew not turned the ball over four times.
Gardner Minshew turns football over four times during Las Vegas Raiders Week 7 loss
It’s hard – impossible, really – to win football games when you’re giving the ball to your opponent on four separate occasions. Veteran signal caller Gardner Minshew knows that just as much as anyone.
“That’s unacceptable to have that many turnovers,” Minshew said at the conclusion of the ballgame. “It’s not fair to the rest of the team. I’m going to go back and look at the film, I’m not gonna sulk, I’m not gonna pout. Whatever we gotta do to fix it, I’m going to do it.”
Minshew headed into Week 6 with six turnovers to his name. During Week 5’s contest against the Denver Broncos, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce thought it best to sub out Minshew for Aidan O’Connell in the second-half. O’Connell would continue being the team’s starting quarterback, but an injury during Sunday’s game led to Minshew’s return under center.
On the year, Minshew now has four passing touchdowns and eight interceptions; one touchdown for every two passes to the opposing squad. He has yet to have a game with at least 250 passing yards since Week 2, and has yet to have any games with 300 yards through the air since coming to Las Vegas.
In the meantime, O’Connell is believed to have suffered a broken thumb. Minshew will carry out quarterback duties for the Raiders until O’Connell returns, if he is to return this season.
*Top Photo: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images