Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew is out with a broken collarbone

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

Minshew was injured late in the fourth quarter of 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. Even before his injury, Minshew was clinging to a starting role. This season, he has thrown 10 interceptions to just nine touchdown passes and lost four fumbles.

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

O’Connell was on the bench injured with a broken thumb but was expected to return to training on Monday. That gives the Raiders a three-week window to decide when to activate him. Until then, O’Connell will not be included in the squad.

The short week complicates matters. Pierce said there will be no typical practices as a result, but there will be ways to assess whether O’Connell is ready for the job. Pierce said he would make sure O’Connell was able to catch the ball without pain.

“Putting a player on the field who is injured or still injured will not benefit that player or our team,” Pierce said.

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

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

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

“He’s a competitor,” Pierce said. “Obviously he had a difficult task ahead of him. He was thrown into the fire with no reps, but moved the ball downfield.

The Raiders could also look at newly available Daniel Jones, though Pierce played down the idea a bit, calling him a “third and fourth” option. Pierce, however, said CEO Tom Telesco will do his due diligence.

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

What works

DE Tyree Wilson is starting to prove he is the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 draft. He had a sack and two tackles for loss. After going through the first half of the season without a sack, Wilson has three goals in his last 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 game-ending run to the first-yard line. They had three such trips in the second quarter, scoring 13 points and going into the break with a 13-9 lead. Las Vegas ranks 25th in the league, with just half of its red zone drives resulting 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 in 2020 for the New England Patriots against the New York Jets.

Stocks down

TE Brock Meyers entered the conversation about the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, and the Broncos responded with mixed reports. This included placing CB Pat Surtain II on Bowers. He caught just four passes on 10 targets for 38 yards. That may provide a clue for future opponents, but the extra attention also contributed to Meyers’ big day.

Injury report

There are questions regarding 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 blow a double-digit lead at some point in each of the first 11 games of the season. The others were the 1986 Indianapolis Colts and the 1972 Patriots. Pierce and then-Colts coach Rod Dowhower are the only coaches to lead the team through that stage. The Patriots fired John Mazur nine games into the 1972 season.

The Raiders were the last opposing team to win in Kansas City, and now they have a chance to do it again when the two teams face off on Black Friday.