Gardner Minshew had perhaps his most impressive performance as an NFL quarterback on Sunday. The young rookie led two fourth quarter touchdown drives to mount a comeback win. Minshew is now 5-5 as a starter. Coincidentally, all five of the Jacksonville Jaguars wins this season have come with Minshew at the helm, and not veteran Nick Foles. Minshew Mania is still alive and in a losing season, Minshew is the feel-good story Jags fans can hold on to.
Gardner Minshew Leads Comeback Victory
The Game That Could Have Been
Sunday’s game could have ended much differently for Jacksonville. The Jaguars were behind for much of the game. The first three quarters were marked by drives that ended in punts with only two field goals scored. After a five-game losing streak, fans would expect to lose a game out west. The Jags have not exactly been the most inspiring team for over a month now. Add in the fact that Sunday’s game was the last one to take place in the Oakland Coliseum and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone willing to bet that the Jags would win.
Most people would have picked the Oakland Raiders to win against the Jaguars. Derek Carr and Darren Waller have found chemistry this year. In fact, Waller had eight receptions for 122 yards on Sunday. But Minshew and the Jaguars had other plans.
The Game That Was
Minshew helped lift his team to victory on Sunday. The Jaguars played spoiler and gave the Raiders a loss in their final game at the Oakland Coliseum. The score was 16-6 at the start of the fourth quarter. The odds weren’t great, but Minshew Mania was alive in Oakland at the right time.
Besides Minshew’s beautiful 55 yard pass to Keelan Cole in the opening drive, it appeared that he would have a relatively forgettable performance. But the fourth quarter proved otherwise. Not only did Minshew cut the deficit to a field goal with 5:15 remaining in the game, but he also threw the game-winner with only 31 seconds remaining in the game. Both touchdown passes were to Chris Conley.
There were also some other Jags of note in Oakland. Rookie standout Josh Allen recorded his 10th sack of the season. Allen is making a great case for Defensive Rookie of the Year. It’s unlikely Allen will win due to the team’s situation, but based on performance alone Allen is easily in the conversation. Another stand out was Cole. The third-year receiver has struggled mightily since his beautiful one-handed grab against the New England Patriots in week two of 2018. He’s been buried on the depth chart. But Cole had a chance to show out with D.J. Chark out with an injury. Cole finished the game with three receptions for 76 yards.
The Road Ahead With Gardner Minshew
After Minshew’s comeback victory the Jags now sit at 5-9 on the season. The writing is already on the wall the coaching staff and front office to be gone come Black Monday. But the final two games will be important for the players. They are auditioning for their spot on the team next year. The Jaguars have two games left this season. They head to Atlanta next week, and play their final game of 2019 in Jacksonville against Indianapolis.
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