Las Vegas' starting quarterback situation remains uncertain as Raiders fall 27-12 to Cowboys

Updated Aug. 18, 2024 2:24 a.m. ET

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LAS VEGAS (AP) — The competition for the Raiders' starting quarterback job remained murky after both Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew were outplayed Saturday night by Trey Lance, a third-stringer who threw a touchdown pass and rushed for another to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a 27-12 preseason victory over Las Vegas.

Lance, a former No. 3 overall draft pick who is trying to remain on the Cowboys' roster, completed 15 of 23 passes for 151 yards. He played the final three quarters for Dallas (1-1). With starter Dak Prescott watching from the sideline, Cooper Rush played the first quarter and completed 1 of 3 passes for 6 yards.

“I thought we improved today and it started with Trey,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “He just needs to continue to play, he just needs reps. He needs to play in live games, particularly in the drop-back phase because he’s done a very good job managing everything else. So I thought he clearly took a step today.”

Dallas kicker Brandon Aubrey ended the first half with a 66-yard field goal to give the Cowboys a 13-6 halftime lead. That kick would have tied Justin Tucker’s NFL record if the game had been played in the regular season.

O'Connell looked ready to make a case to be the starter for the Raiders (0-2), but a 69-yard interception returned for a touchdown by cornerback Kemon Hall on the first play of the fourth quarter undid his earlier work. O'Connell finished 14 of 20 for 96 yards with a touchdown and the interception.

“I definitely did some good things, converting a fourth down and a couple of third downs, but missed some throws and missed some reads, too,” O'Connell said. “And then, obviously, the pick-six lingers in your mind.”

Minshew, O'Connell's competition for the job, started for the Raiders and had the full array of offensive talent on the field with him, except for wide receiver Davante Adams and tight end Brock Bowers (foot). Minshew played a drive into the second quarter, missing several open targets while completing 10 of 21 passes for 95 yards. The Raiders scored just a field goal in his four drives.

Minshew said his performance was “not good enough. I had some misthrows, a misread. I have stuff to grow and improve on. I think we shot ourselves in the foot a lot tonight. Any time you do that, you're going to have a hard time, so there's plenty of stuff on tape to get back and work on and get right. There's a lot of good on there, too, to build on and have a lot of confidence in.”

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said he wanted to name a starter after the game against the Cowboys, but neither O’Connell nor Minshew has clearly separated himself this offseason.

“I think everybody wants to see a player just take it and say, ‘I’m the guy,' like I've been saying from Day One,” Pierce said. “That's probably not the case, so we're going to have to make a decision. We're going to live with it and we're going to support whoever that quarterback is for the Raiders going forward.”

Pierce has said not one practice, scrimmage or preseason game will determine which quarterback is chosen, that the decision will come down to more of a big-picture view.

“You've got to focus on the task at hand,” O'Connell said. “I try to do that every day.”

Both quarterbacks are likely going to find out soon who will get the starting job entering the season.

“We've got a super-competitive camp, kind of neck and neck the whole way,” Minshew said. “I feel like we both put together a great body of work and played some great ball and left it up to Coach to make a hard decision. I feel good about everything we've done to this point. I'm super optimistic about what we're going to be able to do as a team this year.”

On the other side, Lance also led two second-quarter drives for 10 points against six Raiders defensive starters. His 20-yard scramble set up Aubrey's long field goal to close the first half.

Lance ended any doubt in the fourth quarter. His 2-yard touchdown run with 2:06 left put the Cowboys ahead by 15 points.

INJURIES

Cowboys DT Mazi Smith did not travel with the team after experiencing an allergic reaction at training camp in Oxnard, California.

UP NEXT

Cowboys: Host the Chargers next Saturday.

Raiders: Host the 49ers on Friday night.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

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NFL - Dallas Cowboys vs. Las Vegas Raiders - 08/18/2024