Gardner Minshew Has Changed My Football Brain

Yesterday was a football day like any other until it wasnt.

Let me set the scene a little bit for you. Our beloved Jaguars haven’t won in the Pacific or Mountain time zone since 2008. For those keeping score at home, that’s 11 years. It had been 11 years since the Jaguars have taken a flight further west than Houston and won a game. That’s ridiculous. It might be one of the most pathetic stats in the history of sports but it’s over now so we can talk about it.

I’ll admit, I had high hopes going into the Denver game. I thought it was set up for the Jaguars to roll. Because I thought that, I knew they would most likely loose. Von Miller and Bradley Chubb hadnt gotten a sack yet this year and they were gonna be HUNGRY to get that going.

On the flip side, Leonard Fournette was really struggling so the Jaguars focus would most likely be trying to get him going in the gaps left by Miller and Chubb. Well, that worked in the 2nd half.

The first half was basically all Broncos though. Quickly, the Jaguars were down 17-3 and the Broncos were in a position to make the game out of reach at the end of the half. Flacco missed a crosser high and the Jaguars took advantage.

The score was 17-6 at the half. The bad guys were winning.

Ive seen the Jaguars go into the half down double digits so many fucking times over the last decade. For a few years, it seemed like a weekly event. I never ever in those games felt like we would come back and win. Ever. If we won games, we led from the start or kept it close throughout. The Jaguars simply never had an offense that could overcome a deficit.

Things have changed now because of 6th round rookie with a magic mustache and that little something special that cant be defined on paper.

Look at these plays he made in the second half.

This one is on 3 and 14. Such poise in the pocket and out of it for a rookie. Guiding his wide out back across the field and into a soft spot. Delicious.

This one about made me nut. Footwork for fucking days. His head is up the entire fucking time and he delivers a ball to the running back for the touchdown to give the Jaguars hope. That capped off a 16-play drive to open the half that was nearly 11 minutes long. It absolutely crushed Denver’s defense.

Right after that drive, the Broncos were quickly forced to punt. Their defense was just on the field for that 16 play drive and then had to come right back out. Defense setting up offense because boom.

A few plays later, great play design and execution on the timed double pump to the tight end wide open in the seam. Love it.

Some back and forth with each team getting a stop or two and the Jaguars having to settle for a field goal to make it a 6 point game. Just under 3 minutes remaining and it’s up to their defense to secure the game.

Flacco bullied Herndon all day long. I felt bad for the dude. Where ever he was, he was targeted.

Denver scores and the Jaguars get the ball back down 1.

In the past, I just know an interception is coming here. I just KNOW it.

The drive starts out with Minshew getting rolled up on.

He guts it out. He shakes off the injury and gets things going.

Minshew hits another pass to Conley to set up Josh Lambo for the game-winner.

The odd part about this game was that I never felt like Minshew couldnt lead the team back. I wasnt worried about him making a dumb ass mistake and getting a pick 6 that would cost us the game. He plays smart. He plays tough. He plays for my favorite team and Im so fucking jacked about the future with him at the helm.

Gardner Minshew has changed my football brain because I now believe we can win even when we are losing. As a Jaguars fan, that’s new.