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By Matt Levine
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Las Vegas Raiders are entering a crucial 2024 season after missing the postseason last year. The team finished the year with a record of 8-9, showing some competitive fight down the stretch.
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After Antonio Pierce took over as head coach, the Raiders seemed to like his style of coaching. Las Vegas brought him back for this season and removed the interim label.
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One of the bigger storylines for the Raiders is who will start at quarterback when the year starts. Las Vegas has two options: Aidan O'Connell or Gardner Minshew.
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It was announced on Sunday that Minshew would be the starter. He will open the season for the Raiders against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 8.
Both have seen reps in the preseason, and Pierce is now ready to name his starter. The head coach mentioned that he was going to pick between the two soon and that he had made his decision.
"Yeah, we've seen enough reps," he said in his news conference. "Two games, like we talked about. Our guys are not playing in the third preseason game, our starters, so we'll sleep on it and make a decision in the next couple days."
Minshew got the start in the second preseason game for the Raiders against the Dallas Cowboys. O'Connell started week one of the preseason, giving each player a chance to make a statement.
In the game against Dallas, neither did much of anything. O'Connell went 14-of-20, throwing for 96 yards and one touchdown.
Minshew went 10/21 for 95 yards with no scores. He also gained five yards on the ground with his feet.
O'Connell did throw a pick-six, which Pierce said would likely weigh against him in the decision.
"I mean, everything," Pierce said when asked how much the pick-six weighed over O'Connell's TD drive. "You can't take the good and not take the bad. Wish it went well for both gentlemen. It just didn't, and we'll evaluate. They both had opportunities. Aidan had 20 attempts and Minshew had 21, so about as balanced as we can get it. We'll look at it. Obviously you saw what our plan was tonight, throw the ball around and let these guys show what they can do."
O'Connell, entering his second season, gives the Raiders more of a youth movement. Minshew, a veteran of the NFL, signed a lucrative contract with Las Vegas in the offseason.
Both guys have shown that they can be starters in the NFL, but now it's Minshew's job to lose. Pierce is as fierce a competitor as there is in the league, and the veteran will need to play well to keep his spot.
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