Raiders studs & duds from Week 3: Antonio Pierce on notice

Stud (kinda) : Aidan O’Connell

After watching Gardner Minshew struggle for every quarter of this young season, with the exception of the fourth quarter in Baltimore, we finally got to see Aidan O’Connell get a few snaps at QB. He played just 13 snaps but was asked to throw on every one and went 9-for-12 for 82 yards and a touchdown.

O’Connell looked sharp but we won’t get carried away with his performance because the game was well in hand by the time he got some action and the Panthers were in a prevent defense. The only reason he gets mentioned here is because he actually looked efficient and accurate and, in our opinion, should be the starting quarterback next week against the Browns.

We will talk more about Minshew in the duds section but it’s high time that O’Connell gets his shot. This Raiders offense has been struggling for all three games and they need a spark to get things going. We know O’Connell doesn’t have the same ability to extend plays as Minshew does but he does have the ability to get the ball out quickly and keep the offense on schedule. He has done enough over his short Raiders tenure to earn another shot as the starting QB.