NFL QB competition: Gardner Minshew wins Raiders job while rival's top pick in AFC West seems clear

Over time, the NFL has lost the art of the quarterback battle. There haven't been many true battles between players battling for the starting quarterback position, but this year was a little different. There have been a few situations this year where teams have pitted quarterbacks against each other, and a true quarterback battle just ended in Las Vegas.

Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell engaged in a real quarterback battle that came to an end after the Raiders' second preseason game. Head coach Antonio Pierce succinctly described the battle in his comments after the Raiders' 27-12 loss to the Cowboys: “I wish it had worked out well for both of them, but it didn't.”

Minshew and O'Connell combined for 24 of their 41 pass attempts against the Cowboys, totaling just 191 yards (4.7 yards per attempt).

Pierce eventually named Minshew the Raiders' starter, but after the team's preseason performance, it's hard to be optimistic about Las Vegas right now. Maybe the defense can make up for whatever offense's performance is, but that's not a recipe for success for a team that has to play Patrick Mahomes twice a season.

This might not really be a battle for quarterback either. It looks like Russell Wilson will be the starter for the Steelers, barring an injury.

Justin Fields had a chance to steal the job while Wilson recovered from his injury, but he just made too many bad plays during the preseason. Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that there was never really a battle here and Wilson was firmly in control as the starter the whole time. The only thing that could change that would be an injury during the season or dramatic worse game than anyone expected from Wilson.

This is fascinating because it really seems like it could go either way.

Jacoby Brissett hasn't been at his best this preseason, but he's played good football over the past few years and has proven to be a capable starter in a pinch. Drake Maye, the third overall pick this year, finally got a longer chance to play last week and showed all the promising plays that intrigued people about him before the draft.

Mayes' 47-yard rushing total on 11 attempts doesn't tell the whole story. He had a deep dime down the field that was dropped and looked good when he had to. New England's offensive staff isn't exactly a team conducive to a great rookie year, but maybe it will be OK based on Mayes' play.

The Patriots could choose to bench him for a while so he can learn behind Brissett, but either decision is completely defensible and understandable. Now it's just a matter of waiting and seeing what happens with Maye.

Sorry, Zach Wilson. You don't really matter here. It's fair to wonder how much Stidham matters here at all.

Bo Nix has been the Broncos' best quarterback by a wide margin this preseason, and Sean Payton has been hyping him up for some time. It seems a foregone conclusion that Nix will be the starter, although that announcement has not been made yet. Now it's just time to see if Nix's experience as a starter in college will help him get off to a quick start in the NFL.