Minshew was hurt after being sacked on a first-and-10 play with just a few minutes left in the fourth quarter. The veteran quarterback was attempting to scramble away from pressure when he was wrapped up by the Broncos' Cody Barton and Jonathon Cooper.
Barton came down hard on Minshew, who had his left shoulder driven into the ground. He remained down after the play and was in pain as Raiders medical staffers tended to him.
The Raiders originally announced that Minshew suffered a left shoulder injury against the Broncos. He was ruled "questionable" to return but did not see the field after his exit.
Raiders coach Antonio Pierce provided a brief but bleak update on Minshew's status during his postgame news conference.
"It doesn't look good," Pierce told reporters.
Minshew's injury occurred when he landed with his full body weight - and that of Barton - on his left, non-throwing shoulder. He was tended to on the field after the injury occurred and appeared to be in pain.
Minshew was eventually able to get up but headed off the field and straight into the locker room. The broadcast referred to that as a "bad sign" for the signal-caller.
Minshew completed 24-of-42 passes for 230 yards, a touchdown and an interception before exiting Sunday's game.
Who is Gardner Minshew's backup on Raiders depth chart?
Desmond Ridder is presently Minshew's backup and replaced the veteran after his shoulder injury. Ridder completed 5-of-10 passes for 64 yards but lost a critical fumble after replacing Minshew in Sunday's contest.
Typically, Aidan O'Connell serves as Minshew's backup. However, the second-year pro is currently on injured reserve with a thumb injury. That's why Ridder, who the Raiders signed off the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad on Oct. 21, was backing up Minshew on Sunday.
Ridder was the only quarterback the Raiders had available behind Minshew on Sunday. The team's current third-string quarterback, Carter Bradley, is on the team's practice squad and was not elevated for the Week 12 divisional clash. Those two seem likely to lead Las Vegas' quarterback room into Week 13, unless O'Connell is ready to return from IR.
Gardner Minshew stats
Minshew completed 57.1% of his passes for 230 yards, one touchdown and one interception against the Broncos in Week 12.
Minshew entered the game having completed 67.4% of his passes for 1,783 yards, eight touchdowns and nine interceptions in eight starts. He posted a record of 2-6 in those contests and has now dropped to 2-7 on the season after Las Vegas' 29-19 loss.