LAS VEGAS — First off, a reminder to Las Vegas Raiders fans watching Jayden Daniels’ game-winning Hail Mary pass for the 16th time: The Raiders were never getting him.
The Washington Commanders were never not taking him with the second pick. Never going to trade down. The Raiders didn’t choose to sign free agent Gardner Minshew II over trading up for Daniels.
All right, let’s talk about Minshew. He was actually pretty good against the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s 27-20 loss. Obviously, he fumbled in the fourth quarter when he was stripped of the football while fighting for an extra yard. But he completed his first eight passes and had the Raiders out to a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter.
He was rolling out and making throws on the run, and accurate ones as well. The back-shoulder throw to tight Brock Bowers at the end of the first quarter was a thing of beauty. But the Raiders didn’t take advantage of his hot hand and insisted on trying to run the ball.
And worse, they let the Chiefs take away Bowers. Bowers had three catches for 39 yards on the Raiders’ first two scoring drives and then didn’t touch the ball again until 3:56 was left in the game.
This, on National Tight Ends Day against a Chiefs team that entered the game second worst in allowing receptions and receiving yards to tight ends.
“Yeah, man, he’s one of those guys the ball usually just finds him, and I think we have to do a better job of that,” Minshew said. “I think when he is doing his thing, we’re better off when we’re throwing the ball to him. He makes good things happen.”
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Bowers already has 52 catches on the season and has to carry a heavier load with the recent trade of receiver Davante Adams.
“Early in the game plan, obviously (Bowers) is always a part of it, but I thought obviously Kansas City did a good job as far as bringing pressure, and the ball is coming out quick,” coach Antonio Pierce said. “You have to throw it to the open receiver.”
And, apparently, you have to keep forcing the run game even when it’s not working. Running back Alexander Mattison finished with 15 yards on 14 carries, and even though he historically had trouble scoring at the goal line with the Minnesota Vikings, the Raiders gave him the ball three straight times at the end of the third quarter from inside the 4-yard line. Net result: zero yards.
Nine months after Zamir White ran for 145 yards on 22 carries in a 20-14 win over these Chiefs, he got all of two carries and lost a yard Sunday.
Jakobi Meyers was back after missing two weeks with an ankle injury and gave the offense a huge boost. Not only can he use his experience and doggedness to sometimes get open against No. 1 cornerbacks, he helps free up Tre Tucker for easier matchups. Meyers had two catches, including a touchdown, on the Raiders’ opening 12-play, 70-yard drive.
Welcome back Mr. Meyers#KCvsLV | 📺 @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/Q1NdgML78o
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) October 27, 2024
“Yeah, Gardner got off to a hot start,” Pierce said. “I thought he made some good throws … had a little rhythm. Hell of a job even on that reverse. I thought I saw him throw a block out there on the wide receiver.
“I mean, listen, everybody is fighting. I thought these guys were competitive. All I can ask them to do is fight for four quarters, and we did that.”
Minshew is definitely fighting to turn things around after getting benched for Aidan O’Connell after five games, only to return to the lineup last week when O’Connell broke his thumb. He didn’t throw an interception against the Chiefs — for only the second game this season — but he did lose a fumble and now leads the NFL with 11 turnovers.
Recently signed Desmond Ridder and undrafted rookie Carter Bradley were also active for Sunday’s game, but one has to think Minshew did enough to hold on to his starting job for next week’s road game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Minshew finished 24-of-30 for 209 yards and two touchdown passes, and probably could have done more if the Raiders continued to open things up like they did their first two possessions. The offensive line still struggles at times, and Minshew stood tall against blitzes and took some big hits while completing passes.
Minshew has also been credited by teammates with being a calming influence in a rocky season that saw the head coach questioning his players’ effort and then their star receiver asking for a trade the day after a win.
“That dude is one of the mentally toughest guys I know,” Tucker said. “Whenever he has a turnover and I kind of glance at him in the huddle, his face doesn’t change. He’s not, like, frantic or anything like that.
“The thing I really love about him is that he stays the same the whole game. That Minshew Mania face. Like we always tell him, we are going to ride or die for him.”
At least until the bye week after the Bengals game.
(Photo: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
