The Jacksonville Jaguars only had one primetime game last year during the regular season, but it was one that was very important to the fanbase. Of course, one reason for that was because Jacksonville got the national spotlight for the week, but an even bigger reason was because that moment kicked off Minshew Mania.
After completing 22-of-25 passes against the eventual Super Bowl champs, and nearly putting together a game-winning drive the following week against the Houston Texans, fans were excited to see Gardner Minshew on the big stage. To the surprise of some, he rose to the occasion Week 3 during Thursday Night Football, propelling the Jags to a huge 20-7 win over the Tennessee Titans, who eventually went to the AFC Championship.
Now, almost a year later, Titans coach Mike Vrabel still vividly remembers how things went down that night. While meeting with the media Wednesday he praised Minshew for the growth he’s shown and made it known that Minshew brings an infectious energy to the team that could be an X-factor in Sunday’s game.
Mike Vrabel on Gardner Minshew, "This guy is a leader…that team has rallied around him since he's been the starter." As a player, he's "Decisive, very accurate, keeps plays alive. We struggled against him last year. He's letting those weapons work for him." #Titans #Jaguars
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) September 16, 2020
Last season’s primetime game against the Titans marked Minshew’s only meeting against them because the Jags re-inserted Nick Foles back into the lineup once he came off of injured reserve. During that memorable night, Minshew went 20-of-30 for over 200 yards and two touchdowns, and it can’t be ruled out for him to have similar success with there being no crowd at Nissan Stadium.
Vrabel and company will also have to deal with Minshew as he’s coming off a historic performance against the Indianapolis Colts Week 1. Minshew, who completed 95% of his passes (19-of-20), was able to register the fourth-highest single-game completion percentage in NFL history when looking at quarterbacks who’ve made 20 or more attempts. The only players to register a higher rate are Drew Brees (2019), Philip Rivers (2018), and Marcus Mariota (2018) with percentages of 96.7, 96.6, and 95.7, respectively.
Highest Comp % in a Game – NFL History
(Min. 20 pass att)
Comp/Att
2019 Drew Brees 96.7 29/30
2018 Philip Rivers 96.6 28/29
2018 Marcus Mariota 95.7 22/23
2020 Gardner Minshew 95.0 19/20 pic.twitter.com/6uJmfUVp2m— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) September 13, 2020
Make no mistake about it, the Titans aren’t going to be an easy team to beat by any means with an all-time record of 30-21 against the Jags. However, Minshew has done more than enough to make many confident in him. If he can garner a win Sunday over the Titans, it would be the biggest statement he’s made in his career and would put Jacksonville at 2-0, which is a start nobody saw them getting off to.
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