Raiders-Cowboys preseason winners and losers: Gardner Minshew gets starting job while Raiders’ quarterback situation suffers

Raiders-Cowboys preseason winners and losers: Gardner Minshew gets starting job while Raiders’ quarterback situation suffers

In Saturday’s preseason game, the Las Vegas Raiders fielded a large first-string quarterback, Gardner Minshew, while the Dallas Cowboys rested the majority of their players. It was difficult to determine, though, while watching the match progress. The Raiders finished the game with a 12-27 record, and their offense had trouble scoring in the first half, behind 13-6 at the intermission. Even though Las Vegas played better in the second half and came within one point in the third quarter, Aidan O’Connell’s pick-six essentially ended the team’s chances. Since the quarterback issue is the main focus, it brings us to the Silver and Black’s winners and losers for this week.

LOSER: Raiders’ QB situation

Even though Minshew was declared the game’s starting quarterback, it seems more like he bailed out of the position than earned it. In essence, Antonio Pierce stated that both quarterbacks were a letdown when he said, “I wish it had ended well for both gentlemen, and it just didn’t,” at his post-game news conference. Although Minshew did not throw an interception, Pro Football Focus reports that he was wildly inaccurate with a 57.9 adjusted completion % and had one pass bounce off the fingertips of a Cowboys linebacker for what should have been a pick-six. O’Connell, on the other hand, was somewhat more effective, having an adjusted completion percentage of 73.7; but, he made the critical error that appeared to be the final nail in the coffin of the Silver and Black.

WINNER: Tre Tucker

The offense as a whole had a dismal showing, but Tucker was a bright spot. With an incredible 48-yard reception to set up a field goal, he demonstrated that he is the deep threat that Las Vegas has been searching for. He grabbed three catches for 66 yards. He also picked up a third-down convert with a terrific grab toward the sideline. Thanks to a few impressive runbacks, the second-year player may have also established himself as the team’s punt returner. Though one was obviously nullified by a penalty, Tucker’s 43-yard return helped create another scoring opportunity and was ultimately accountable for all six of the Raiders’ first-half scores.

LOSER: Andrus Peat
For the second week in a row, Peat has struggled to stay in front of a rookie edge-rusher. This time Cowboys’ second-round pick Marshawn Kneeland beat him for a couple of pressures, and the veteran offensive tackle ended up surrendering three pressures on 15 opportunities in total, per PFF.

Also, Peat posted an ugly 41.5 PFF grade as a run-blocker on Saturday and hasn’t given much hope that he’s capable of backing up Kolton Miller at left tackle. It’s starting to feel like he might be on the roster bubble as rookie DJ Glaze—who showed improvement this past weekend—could be the better backup option at offensive tackle.

WINNER: Divine Deablo
Deablo could have gotten some love as a winner last week after posting a 71.2 run defense grade in Minnesota. He followed that up with another strong performance against the run with a 70.0 mark and six total tackles, including two defensive stops.

Additionally, the fourth-year pro only allowed 12 yards on two targets in coverage and one total yard after the catch to build some momentum heading into the regular season.

LOSER: M.J. Devonshire
It’s been a struggle for Devonshire during his first two NFL games. He landed on the ‘losers’ list last week after giving up a 45-yard touchdown and this past Saturday might have been even worse, allowing three catches on three targets for 54 yards.

That brings the seventh-round pick up to an 83.3 completion percentage and 104 yards allowed for a perfect 158.3 passer rating when targeted. Those are tough numbers for a guy who is fighting for a roster spot, especially since undrafted free agent Woo Governor has been playing well with just 27 yards and a 92.7 passer rating yielded so far.

WINNER: DJ Turner
Turner entered the game on the roster bubble and made a strong case to earn a spot. While he only had 31 yards on five grabs, 21 of those came after the catch and he forced three missed tackles, per PFF. Additionally, he picked up three first downs as a receiver and was credited with a contested catch on his lone contested target.

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