Raiders' Gardner Minshew Says 'It's Frustrating' to Be Benched for Desmond Ridder

Gardner Minshew wasn't pleased after he was benched for Desmond Ridder in the third quarter of the Las Vegas Raiders' 41-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

"It's frustrating," Minshew said, per Vic Tafur of The Athletic. "I always want to be out there with my guys."

With the Raiders trailing 31-10 in the second half, head coach Antonio Pierce made the decision to replace the 28-year-old with Ridder at quarterback. Minshew finished 10-of-17 for 124 yards without recording a touchdown or an interception.

Ridder also struggled, but he was able to lead Las Vegas on a late scoring drive with just under a minute remaining in the fourth quarter. He completed 68.8 percent of his throws for 74 yards and a touchdown.

Las Vegas' offensive struggles were worse than the final score indicated, as the team's defense secured a pick six off Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in addition to the late end zone trip after the game was already out of hand.

The Raiders finished with just 217 total yards, picking up 60 rush yards as a team despite 21 attempts. Las Vegas also allowed five sacks to a Bengals' front seven that took down opposing quarterbacks just 12 times in eight games prior to Sunday's contest.

Changes were made following the defeat. The Raiders fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy as well as offensive line coach James Cregg and quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello, via ESPN's Paul Gutierrez.

As for Minshew, he's remained inconsistent after earning the first Pro Bowl nod of his career in 2023 with the Indianapolis Colts. This season, he's completed 67 percent of his passes for 1,501 yards and six touchdowns compared to eight interceptions.

Minshew was initially benched in favor of Aidan O'Connell in Week 6, but he was back under center after O'Connell suffered a thumb fracture on Oct. 20 that resulted in a stint on injured reserve.

The Raiders fell to 2-7 on Sunday and are currently in the midst of a five-game losing streak.