Raiders star inspires Gardner Minshew against Ravens: ‘A great leader’

Gardner Minshew was greeted by Maxx Crosby on the sideline after throwing an interception in the Raiders’ game against the Ravens on Sept. 15.

The defensive end had a simple message for his quarterback.

“We need that Washington State Gardner,” Minshew said, remembering what Crosby yelled at him. “We need that.”

Minshew took those words to heart. He responded by helping the Raiders (1-1) score 20 second-half points to pull off an improbable 26-23 road upset against a team that reached the AFC title game last season.

In the process, Crosby may have unleashed a version of Minshew that could serve the team well. Especially if he delivers the same kind of performance in the Raiders’ home opener against the Panthers (0-2) on Sunday.

“I was like, ‘Man, you’re right, dude,” Minshew said. “Let me see if I can go whip that up real quick.”

“Minshew mania” was all the rage during the quarterback’s time with the Cougars.

He lit up the scoreboard as a swashbuckling quarterback in coach Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense in 2018. Minshew led the nation in completions (468), was second in passing yards (4,779) and was fourth in passing touchdowns (38).

He helped Washington State finish 11-2 as well. Whatever he was doing was working.

Minshew needed to channel that same energy against the Ravens.

He wasn’t playing poorly in the first half, but the pizzazz and magic he was known for was missing. He seemed to lose some of the gunslinger mentality that set him apart.

Minshew heeded Crosby’s advice and helped the Raiders score five times their final seven possessions. He completed 19 of 25 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown in that span, in part due to the jolt Crosby gave him.

“That dude is a great leader,” Minshew said. “He does it the right way, man, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have him on our team.”

Minshew’s next step is maintaining that kind of spirit for an entire game rather than just one half. He and the Raiders’ offense showed what they’re capable of against the Ravens, but now they have to build on that outing.

“We just need to do it for four quarters,” coach Antonio Pierce said.

The Raiders may have found a formula that works down the stretch in Baltimore.

Wide receiver Davante Adams and rookie tight end Brock Bowers were targeted often in the second half, and both came up with huge plays. Adams finished with nine catches for 110 yards and a touchdown, while Bowers had nine receptions for 98 yards.

“I put a lot of trust in those receivers, and they paid me back for it,” Minshew said. “I think that was a big part of it.”

Room for improvement

The fact the Raiders won against the Ravens while playing only one good half of football on offense was cause for optimism in the locker room.

The team believes there’s another level it can get to.

“Yeah, it’s almost a better feeling,” Adams said. “I think it’s a good feeling when you go out there and play and you feel like you had a (really) good game in all phases. But when you can beat a really good team without doing that, it almost is more promising sometimes. We left a lot out there.”

Putting together a complete game will likely require Minshew to be his carefree best self moving forward. Even if it takes more sideline reminders from Crosby.

“I think it’s really telling when the leaders of our team just step up like that all on their own, grab a quarterback, which you don’t see much, a defensive player interacting with a quarterback after a negative play, and have that kind of response,” Pierce said.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.