Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew suffered a potentially serious injury when he was sacked and landed hard on his left shoulder late in the fourth quarter during Sunday’s loss to the Denver Broncos.
Minshew left the game holding his shoulder after being tackled by linebackers Cody Barton and Jonathon Cooper. Multiple reports say that Minshew has a broken collarbone, which will keep him out for the rest of the season.
“We’ll know more, but doesn’t look good,” coach Antonio Pierce said after the Raiders lost 29-19.
With the Raiders (2-9) behind 26-19 and 3:12 left in the game, Minshew dropped back and scrambled to his right. Barton and Cooper tackled him, bringing the 28-year-old quarterback to the ground.
Desmond Ridder replaced Minshew, but he only played two plays before fumbling. Ridder ran for 3 yards on second down but then lost the ball after being sacked by Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto. Lineman Malcolm Roach recovered the fumble, and the Broncos took over at the Raiders’ 17-yard line.
Minshew completed 25 of 42 passes for 230 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Ridder finished 5 of 10 for 64 yards.
“We obviously got to be able to go out there and execute and finish by the end of the fourth quarter,” Ridder said. “We just got to be better on offense. We just got to be able to execute better. When it comes down to it, we got to be able to make those big plays.”
The Raiders played without their top two running backs, as well as two starters at cornerback, two on the defensive line, and one at safety.
Second-year quarterback Aidan O’Connell is eligible to come off injured reserve this week, which could help the Raiders as they prepare to play the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday.
O’Connell injured his thumb in a game against the Los Angeles Rams on October 20.
“We’re gonna need somebody, right?” Pierce said. “We’re running out of quarterbacks, too, now. We’ll see what happens tomorrow. But obviously, it looks like (O’Connell’s) getting better.”
“He threw a little bit in practice this week. Obviously, we got a short week. Play on Friday, travel on Thursday, so we have to make that decision very quickly.”
Ridder said he’ll be ready to start if needed.
“I’ve been here almost a month now, feel comfortable with the offense, ready to go,” Ridder said. “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.”
