The Las Vegas Raiders will take on the Minnesota Vikings in preseason Week 1 on Saturday, Aug. 10, at 1 p.m. PT. Ahead of kickoff, we have an idea of who may start at quarterback between Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew.
According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, all signs are pointing to O'Connell getting the nod to start the game over Minshew.
But before anyone reads too much into that, bear in mind that head coach Antonio Pierce said earlier in the week that the starter isn't an indication of anything because whoever doesn't start in preseason Week 1 will start the following week.
He added that both quarterbacks are going to play "a legit quarter."
#Raiders coach Antonio Pierce tells me he has not yet decided who will start at QB at the #Vikings, but said earlier both Minshew & O'Connell will play a quarter each. I asked if it mattered who started, and Pierce said not really, because the other QB would start the next week.
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) August 7, 2024
"Like I said, both quarterbacks are gonna play a legit quarter," Pierce said. "Who goes out first and who goes out second really doesn't matter. [They will] get hopefully an equal amount of snaps and opportunity to showcase."
All signs pointing to Aidan O'Connell getting the start for the @Raiders today against the @Vikings, with Gardner Minshew getting the second quarter.
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) August 10, 2024
The Raiders enter this contest with no clear-cut leader in the competition. Minshew may have a slight lead after outplaying O'Connell during a scrimmage last week, but nothing is settled as of yet.
As Pierce noted, the first preseason game will be "very telling."
"I wasn't going to base everything off practice... A lot of different factors play into it," Pierce said. "Defensive play. Who's going with the ones? Who's going with the twos? This preseason game will be very telling. I want to see these guys take care of the ball, manage the team, take care of situational football."
You can catch the Raiders' preseason Week 1 contest on NFL Network, and it's also available on NFL+.
