BALTIMORE — First-year Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce saw his decision to name journeyman veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew the starter under center pay off as the Raiders came from behind to secure a big 26-23 win over the struggling Ravens on Sunday.
Vegas was led on three scoring drives in the fourth quarter by Minshew; and kicker Daniel Carlson kicked the go-ahead 38-yard field goal with just 27 seconds remaining in regulation as Las Vegas improved to 1-1 on the season after rallying to knock off the Ravens (0-2) in Baltimore.
Minshew went 30-for-38 passing on the day, overcoming being sacked a total of five times to throw for 276 yards.
Despite the disappointing result for the home team, the Ravens initially appeared headed toward their first win of the season after running back Derrick Henry- the prized acquisition for Baltimore in the off-season- plunged into the end zone, pushing his squad to a 23-13 advantage three minutes into the fourth frame.
But the Raiders would stun the home field faithful on their ensuing possessions, behind the Minshew-lead offense.
Minshew connected with perennial All-Pro pass catcher DaVante Adams on a 1-yard touchdown to tie things up with 3:54 remaining in the 4th quarter.
After quickly getting the ball back, the Raiders moved swiftly downfield, setting up Carlson’s fourth field goal of the game.
Coming off a game in which the Raiders scored only 10 points last week in a loss to the Chargers, the comeback seemingly defied logic got some observers; especially considering that it came with journeyman signal-caller Minshew-he of the 15-23 career record as a starter- at the helm on the road against the team that forged the best record in the NFL just one year ago.
For his part, Minshew was unfazed following the game, as he commented
“I look forward to (being able to) continue to build on that momentum.”
For their part, the Ravens were looking to get back on track a week after a harrowing 27-20 week one loss to the back-to-back defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, but Baltimore fell to 0-2 for the first time in nearly ten years, since the 2015 season.
Baltimore’s star QB Lamar Jackson completed 21 of his 34 pass attempts for 247 yards. He was limited to just 20 yards on the ground a week after piling up 122 rushing yards in week one against the Chiefs.
Coach AP clearly felt reassured by his teams winning effort following the disappointment of the season opener, stating “I told these guys… throughout the week (that) to beat one of the best teams in football last year and to beat one of the best players in the game, in Lamar, we need all the units to play at their best. It all came down together in the fourth quarter,” commented the punishing former Giants linebacker and Arizona State alum.
