Aidan O'Connell

Gardner Minshew saw himself benched for the second time this season in Sunday's loss to the Bengals. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who can be partly blamed for Minshew's struggles, was dismissed following Sunday's loss. There's a lot for the Raiders to figure out heading into their Week 10 bye. Pierce is staring down the barrel of a one-and-done season as head coach if he's unable to right the ship. There's a good chance Desmond Ridder finds himself as the Raiders' starter when the team returns in Week 11 against the Dolphins, but we wouldn't expect him elevate the Raiders' offense any more than Minshew or Aidan O'Connell did.

Minshew was benched half-way through the third quarter, with Desmond Ridder coming in for him. He finished his day with 10 completions for 124 yards behind an increasingly banged-up offensive line. Minshew was credited with a fumble on a botched handoff to WR DJ Turner, leading to the Bengals recovering deep in Raiders territory and an ensuing score. With Aidan O'Connell on injured reserve, Minshew's benching indicates the second time he has fallen out of Antonio Pierce's favor. We will see how the Raiders move forward with their quarterback situation, but Minshew's prospects as an NFL starter took a hit.