NFL coach teases quarterback change after shock loss

One of the NFL's coaches is considering a quarterback change after a shocking loss over the weekend.

On Monday, Adam Schefter reported that Las Vegas Raider coach Antonio Pierce is not ruling out a quarterback change this week after losing to the struggling Carolina Panthers.

The margin was not close as Pierce's side fell to a lesser opposition on paper. The 36-22 defeat in the hands of Carolina may push the Raiders coach to dig into his depth chart for Week 4.

Quarterback Gardner Minshew completed 18 out of 28 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked twice and intercepted once.

Before Sunday's game, Minshew completed 30 of 38 passes for 276 yards and a touchdown in a 26-23 win over Baltimore. However, he was intercepted once and sacked five times in the contest.

During the Raiders' 22-10 loss to the Chargers on opening day, Minshew was sacked four times and intercepted once despite completing 25 of 33 attempts for 257 yards and a touchdown.

The only available quarterback for Pierce is second-year player Aidan O'Connell.

The Purdue product played in 11 games last season and completed 213 out of 343 attempts for 12 touchdowns. He was intercepted 12 times and endured 24 sacks.

Nonetheless, O'Connell made an impression on Pierce when he took the field on Sunday. Making the most of his minutes, the second-string quarterback completed nine out of 12 attempts for 82 yards and a touchdown. Furthermore, O'Connell was only sacked once.

Should they push through the decision, the Raiders would not be the first team to make quarterback changes early into the season.

The Panthers swapped last year's No 1 overall pick Bryce Young for veteran Andy Dalton after the Panthers went 0-2 to start. The change worked in Carolina's favor, scoring their first win over Las Vegas.

The Raiders will close out September with a Week 4 matchup against the Cleveland Browns on the 29th.