JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 19: Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew II #15 throws a pass in the second quarter against the Tennessee Titans at TIAA Bank Field on September 19, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Harry Aaron/Getty Images)
The Jacksonville Jaguars won a boring game against the Tennessee Titans. The one player who was not a bore was Gardner Minshew.
It is a running joke that the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans come together annually to produce one of the more boring Thursday night games during any given NFL season.
The tradition continued in 2019 with a 20-7 victory for the Jaguars in a game that saw three total touchdowns in a rain-soaked Florida affair.
The only big story from the win is the surprising and exciting play of rookie Gardner Minshew. He was thrust into action back in Week 1 when Nick Foles went down and has responded by being one of the more efficient quarterbacks in the entire NFL.
Minshew finished the night going 20-of-30 for 204 yards and two touchdowns. He now has five passing touchdowns compared to only one interception in three games this season. Not bad for a sixth-round rookie who is filling in for Nick Foles after a surprising Week 1 injury.
Gardner Minshew is not a superstar just yet. He may be on social media, but not in reality. But he is on his way to being a top-15 quarterback in the league in 2019. The key for him will be to play well enough to convince the Jaguars that he is the future of the team and he should start over Foles.
The problem is Foles’ big four-year contract with the Jaguars. Even if Minshew dominates over the next two months, Foles will likely get his job back. The money is too much for him to sit on the bench. Unless he is traded to a desperate team at the deadline.
This is a good problem for the Jaguars to have. It is the same one Foles’ old team had before letting him go in favor of Carson Wentz.
Minshew is in a position where he has no pressure because he knows Foles still owns that starting spot when he is healthy. All the rookie can do is continue to do his best and lay the groundwork for a future in Jacksonville.
He is off to a good start and has already saved the Jaguars season by picking up the win against the Titans. Stringing together a few more wins will give Jacksonville a case of Minshew Mania and Foles could be old news by the time he is ready to return.