After a lackluster training camp in Costa Mesa, both O’Connell and Minshew were in the mix from the start. O’Connell was in the mix from the start, but only played the first drive of the game, completing seven of nine successful passes for 76 yards.

The Raiders’ second-year quarterback led the pack to the Minnesota 13-yard line and set up a 31-yard field goal for kicker Daniel Carlson that gave Las Vegas an early 3-0 lead.

The Raiders defense put Minnesota under pressure again when cornerback Jack Jones picked up where he left off last season, intercepting a pass from Vikings rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy with Las Vegas at its own 33-yard line.

Minshew took over for the rest of the half, finishing with 117 yards and a touchdown to Raiders wide receiver DJ Turner.

The Raiders spread the ball around well in the first half, with wide receivers Tre Tucker and Jakobi Meyers leading the way with 73 yards on two and 45 yards on three receptions, respectively. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers started strong, rushing for 25 yards on two passes from O’Connell in the first drive.

Bowers’ tight end colleague Michael Mayer also recorded a 7-yard pass.

Meanwhile, running backs Zamir White and Alexander Mattison led the running game for the Silver and Black. White ran for 23 yards and a touchdown, while Mattison had 15 rushing yards.

Las Vegas entered halftime with a lot of momentum, boosted by a blocked field goal, a 56-yard field goal by Carlson and a forced punt by the defense on the final three drives of the half.

The Raiders didn’t commit any penalties in the entire first half, but that quickly changed after halftime.

Right off the bat, Las Vegas’ reserves committed three penalties on the team’s first three possessions of the third quarter. The offensive line also allowed third-string quarterback Anthony Brown Jr. to be sacked four times on those drives. Each of those possessions resulted in punts by Raiders punter AJ Cole.

On defense, the Raiders allowed two consecutive touchdowns on the Vikings’ first offensive plays, allowing Minnesota to take a 21-20 lead.

From then on, however, the defense was able to counterattack again and the Raiders forced two consecutive punts, including a 23-yard field goal by Carlson, which secured Las Vegas’ lead (23-21).

This would be the final score of the contest. Carlson finished the day with three field goals and 9 points.

With about 8.5 minutes left in the game, the Raiders made another quarterback change, replacing Brown with fourth quarterback Carter Bradley.

Bradley never got to show his arm as the Raiders kept the ball on the ground from then on. This ultimately proved to be Las Vegas’ downfall as the Raiders ended the game with three straight punts.

Minnesota had the last word with its game-deciding field goal.

It is quite worrying that the reserve players, the players who have the most to prove before the 53-man squad is cut down, have struggled in this competition. At the same time, it is encouraging that the regulars, of course the most important players, played a clean game in this first pre-season match.

Fans should also leave this match feeling positive about the state of this quarterback battle after the two rivals’ training camp was underwhelming.

The Raiders are back in action at home next week when they host the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2 of the preseason, with kickoff scheduled for 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST.

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