Antonio Pierce benched struggling Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew II for Aidan O'Connell in loss to the Broncos

Antonio Pierce had seen enough.

The Las Vegas Raiders head coach subbed starting quarterback Gardner Minshew II in favor of backup Aidan O'Connell on Sunday. Pierce made the change late in the third quarter when the Broncos had a 20-10 lead. The Broncos secured a 34-18 victory.

Minshew had thrown his second interception of the game on the previous drive in Las Vegas before being pulled back. He went to the bench after completing 12 of 17 passes for 137 yards with one touchdown and the two interceptions.

The quarterback change is the latest drama in a Raiders season full of them. Pierce made the move two weeks after criticizing his players for making “business decisions” in the disastrous loss to the Carolina Panthers. The Raiders then entered Sunday's game with reports that a trade for three-time All-Pro receiver Davante Adams was inevitable.

The Raiders bounced back from a loss to the Panthers in Week 3 with a win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 4 to improve to 2-2. But they struggled on Sunday against the Broncos led by rookie quarterback Bo Nix.

Minshew's first interception of the day likely led to a two-score swing in favor of the Broncos. With the Raiders leading 10-3, Minshew targeted rookie tight end Brock Bowers in the end zone with a play-action pass. Instead, he found safety Patrick Surtain II, who intercepted the pass and returned it for a Broncos touchdown.

Instead of holding a two-point lead, the Raiders were tied 10-10 early in the second quarter.

The Raiders played from behind in the second half. With Denver leading 20-10 late in the third quarter, Minshew looked deep offside for wide receiver Tre Tucker. Cornerback Riley Moss had good coverage on the sideline and intercepted the jump ball at the Denver 37-yard line.

That was Minshew's last pass of the day.

O'Connell took over for Las Vegas' next possession. He wasn't doing much better. The Raiders lost 6 yards and fumbled on O'Connell's first possession. The Broncos responded with a touchdown drive, extending their lead to 27-10.

On its second possession, O'Connell threw an interception on the first play of the drive. He targeted Bowers in traffic on a pass over the middle. The ball bounced from Bowers' hands into those of Surtain, who recorded his second interception of the day.

The Broncos turned the turnover into another touchdown drive, completed by a 9-yard scoring pass from Nix to Josh Reynolds for a 34-10 lead. In that game, the Raiders led 10-0 in the first quarter.

The Raiders added a touchdown to cut their deficit to 34-18 late in the fourth quarter. But it was far too little, too late on an error-filled day that allowed the Broncos to score 34 unanswered points with a rookie quarterback.

Nix was the best QB on the field Sunday after getting off to a shaky start in four games in his NFL career. He completed 19 of 27 passes for 206 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers.

O'Connell finished the day completing 10 of 20 passes for 94 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.

The Raiders now head into Week 6 ahead of a matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers with questions for the quarterback in addition to the ongoing trade talks surrounding Adams.