Raiders-Rams recap: Gardner Minshew commits four turnovers in Las Vegas loss

The Las Vegas Raiders are not a good football team.

That was the hope going into this season, in the first full year under Antonio Pierce, that the players wanted and that promised a more consistent, stable product.

But the Raiders, the only sub-.500 team in the AFC West, are a bitter disappointment at 2-5, having lost their third straight game with a 20-15 loss at the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

Not only are the Raiders bad, they appear to be one of the worst teams in the league. This is a team that has trailed by double digits in all seven games and has been beaten by bad teams like the 1-6 Carolina Panthers and the 2-4 Rams.

The Raiders simply aren't competitive and that clearly points to Pierce.

Let's look at some key aspects of the game:

Minshew is bad:

Gardner Minshew replaced Aidan O'Connell late in the first quarter after O'Connell reportedly broke his thumb. Minshew, who was replaced as the starter two weeks ago, has been terrible. He threw three interceptions and lost a fumble. He has 10 turnovers this season, which is the most turnovers in the league. He has eight interceptions this season. He had a career-best nine interceptions in 13 starts in recent seasons with Indianapolis. After the game, Minshew said his turnovers were “unacceptable” and “not fair” to the team. He beat the Raiders in that game and will likely stick with Minshew for the near future.

Looking for quarterbacks?

If O'Connell is out for an extended period of time, the Raiders will likely cut Carter Bradley from the practice squad. They could also add a free agent, but there isn't much there. They could pursue a player like Ryan Tannehill or Max Duggan, who was with the Chargers along with Las Vegas general manager Tom Telesco.

Other questionable coaching decisions:

Pierce, who is 7-9 as Raiders coach, has struggled with decision-making this season. It happened again on Sunday. He decided to kick a field goal late in the game while on eight near the goal line and then burned several seconds after the two-minute warning.

Can't find the end zone:

In addition to the turnovers, the Raiders stalled near the end zone. All they could muster were five field goals from Daniel Carlson.

Rams tried to help:

Make no mistake; The Raiders lost to a bad team on Sunday. The Rams have no offense and their kicker missed an extra point and a short field goal late to keep the Raiders at bay.

The defense does its job:

The Raiders defense had a solid performance. They made some big stops and kept the offense in the game. The Raiders' offense simply couldn't do its job.

Receiver quiet:

The Raiders were without Jakobi Meyers and are, of course, in the post-Davante Adams world. The Raiders completed five passes to receivers, while Tre Tucker had three catches and DJ Turner had two. They hope to get Meyers back soon.

Penalties an issue:

The Raiders had 10 penalties for 80 yards. This team played flawlessly early in the season, but penalties were an issue in some games.

Mattison begins:
Although Zamir White was healthy after missing two games, veteran Alexander Mattison started for the third straight game. Mattson rushed for 92 yards on 23 carries and White only had three carries. The Raiders will likely play with the hot hand at tailback week in and week out.

Glaze begins:

Rookie DJ Glaze remained the starting player for the Raiders even with Thayer Munford healthy after missing three games. The Raiders have been pleased with the way the third-round pick from Maryland has played this season and it appears he is the new starter.

Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images

Bowers sets rookie mark:

Raiders tight end Brock Bowers had 10 catches for 93 yards. He has 47 catches this season. He set the Raiders mark for most catches by a rookie after seven games. Wide receiver Amari Cooper had 38 catches in seven games in 2015. Bowers is on pace to set the rookie record for catches by a rookie at right end. Sam LaPorta of the Detroit Lions had 86 catches last season. He is the first rookie tight end to have at least eight catches in three straight games.

Five D-linemen starting:

The Raiders started the game with five defensive linemen in the post-Christian Wilkins era for the second straight year. They have defensive ends Maxx Crosby and Charles Snowden as well as defensive tackles Adam Butler, John Jenkins and rookie Jonah Laulu. It was his first start. The Raiders used the lineups to start the Week 2 game with Matthew Butler as the fifth lineman.

More Maxx:

Maxx Crosby had another sack and has 6.5 on the season. He is third on the Raiders' all-time sack list with 58.6 in less than six full seasons.

Big stop:
The Rams went for it on fourth-and-1 at the 49 in the second quarter. Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs made the stop to give the Raiders the ball. But the Raiders didn't take advantage and went three out.

Nice start:

On Sunday, the Raiders became the 14th team since the start of the second season to force an opponent to punt on their first drive. According to the Raiders' public relations team, it's the third-highest number in the league during that span.

Getsy on the way:

Raiders offensive coordinator Luke Getsy called Sunday's game from the press box. He was on the field for the first six games. Pierce said earlier this week that he was considering the move.