After a turbulent off-season, the Jacksonville Jaguars came out and started the season off right, earning a 27-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Two of their young offensive stars, quarterback Gardner Minshew and rookie wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. shined in the victory. Minshew was almost perfect, completing 19 of 20 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns, while Shenault was utilized all over the field and scored his first NFL touchdown.
Looking at how the Jaguars used their young wideout to help the entire Jacksonville offense is a window into their schematic future.
Take Jacksonville’s first touchdown of the 2020 NFL season. The Jaguars face a 2nd and goal on the six, and Shenault aligns on the left side of the offense. The rookie then comes in motion across the formation, and a defender trails him. Take note of the response from the Indianapolis secondary:
With the defender trailing, Minshew has an inkling that the Colts are in man coverage. There will be a twist in a moment, as we will see. Here’s what the Jaguars run on the play:
Shenault shows the defense a potential screen, while Chark releases vertically. That puts the cornerback in a bind. Remember, Minshew is thinking the Colts are in man coverage, given how they responded to Shenault’s motion. But there is a twist, as promised. Indianapolis drops into a red zone Cover 2 look. Instead of the man coverage Minshew was expecting, he gets a zone look.
However, this works just as well for the offense. Cornerback TJ Carrie is still stuck between a rock and a hard place. He has the flat to that side, so Sheanult works as a “low,” but with Chark releasing to the outside, he now is bracketed with a “high.” The cornerback squats for a moment in response to the potential screen to Shenault, and that is all Minshew needs:
The threat of Shenault creates the opportunity, and Minshew takes advantage.
A similar concept worked later in the second quarter, when Minshew was able to find Shenault on a vertical route. This time the Jaguars face a 1st and 10 in their own territory, and Shenault comes in motion before the play from left-to-right again:
This time, it is Kenny Moore who trails the rookie across the formation. Just before the snap, here is the state of play:
Here’s what Jacksonville runs:
They throw a lot of eye candy at the Colts’ defense, and in particular Moore, who is one of the best slot cornerbacks in the league. They show a split-zone design, with the running back aiming to the left, but Minshew fakes the handoff and slides to the right, with the tight end releasing to the flat. The boundary receiver takes off vertically, drawing the cornerback. Moore first sees the run action, and then the QB rolling to him with the tight end releasing to the flat. All of that action draws his attention, while Shenault sneaks out vertically. With the vertical route from the outside WR pulling the cornerback downfield, the rookie is wide open:
Easy throw, easy catch and Jacksonville is near midfield.
While he was with Colorado, Shenault aligned all over the field for the Buffaloes, including snaps at tight end, running back and yes, at quarterback. So it should come as no surprise that we saw a little of Shenault taking snaps out of a Wildcat formation against the Colts:
Minshew begins the play under center but then motions out towards the sideline, allowing Shenault to take the direct snap. He patiently picks his spot and cuts inside for a gain of five. Not the most exciting play, but one more thing opposing defenses will need to prepare for each time they face the Jaguars.
Then there is the touchdown from Minshew to Shenault, that looked almost like a connection between Tom Brady and Wes Welker. Shenault aligns in a stack-slot to the right and will run a crossing route, throttling down for a second before continuing over the middle:
You can see why this play is reminiscent of something veterans like Brady and Welker would connect on, and not two younger players like Minshew and Shenault. When the rookie WR throttles down, that draws the nearest defender towards him and causes that player to settle a bit. Then when Shenault accelerates, he is able to extend his separation and Minshew hits him in stride. QB and WR are certainly on the same page here, and that is also evident from the end zone camera. Pay close attention to Minshew’s feet:
One of the knock on Air Raid quarterbacks coming out of college – such as Minshew – is that their footwork is not precise enough to function in an NFL offense. This was a mischaracterization of Minshew, whose footwork was very effective in the pocket. He always keeps his feet in position to throw as he works through his reads, and this play is a prime example. Notice how he resets his feet towards the middle of the field just before releasing this throw? That is precisely the kind of footwork you want to see from a veteran passer. But here is Minshew doing it in just his second season.
Many thought the Jaguars were lining up for a shot at Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence with the moves they made this offseason. But if Minshew continues to perform like this, Jacksonville might be looking to address another position early in next year’s draft. With Shenault at his side, and the attention he is drawing already from opposing defenses, Minshew might just keep this current form going.