JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Looks like Minshew Mania is back in Jacksonville. At least for a day, anyway.
Jaguars coach Doug Marrone benched starting quarterback Mike Glennon for Gardner Minhew midway through the third the quarter of the Jaguars’ 31-10 loss to Tennessee at TIAA Bank Field. Minshew entered the game after Glennon threw an interception while trying to hit receiver DJ Chark deep in the middle of the field. The Jaguars had just five first downs and 99 yards of total offense and trailed 24-3 at that point.
Minshew led the Jaguars to a touchdown on his first possession, connecting with receiver Keelan Cole on a 5-yard throw. He finished 18-of-31 passing for 178 yards.
Minshew hasn’t played since the Jaguars’ 39-29 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 25. He told the team after the game that he had actually suffered a thumb injury in the Oct. 11 game against Houston but hid the injury for two weeks.
Marrone started rookie Jake Luton for the next three games but a four-interception performance in the Jaguars’ 27-3 loss to Pittsburgh spurred Marrone to make a change. Although Minshew had begun throwing again before the Steelers game Marrone opted for Glennon in the Jaguars’ Nov. 19 game against Cleveland.
Minshew told ESPN earlier this week that he had begged Marrone to play in that game.
Glennon has started the past three games and thrown three touchdown passes, three interceptions and lost a fumble before his benching against the Titans. The first two games were against Houston and Minnesota and the Jaguars lost those games by a combined five points.
The Jaguars had decided to give Minshew the 2020 season to prove he could be the long-term starter, and while he threw 13 touchdown passes to five interceptions in the seven games in which he played he hasn’t significantly improved on the issues that plagued him as a rookie last season: comfort in the pocket, arm strength, throwing receivers open and working the middle of the field.
The Jaguars entered Sunday’s game losers of 11 in a row and in a battle with the New York Jets for the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft. They’re expected to take a quarterback with that pick.