Should NFL fans stop doubting the ability that Gardner Minshew and the Jaguars possess?
Hello again everyone and welcome to another week of the ArrowChop! This is the column where we look at the positives/negatives of a certain Chiefs/NFL issue and look at both sides of the aisle. Then you, the readers, will come to your conclusions after I lay out the case. So sit back, relax, and enjoy as we breakdown this week’s hot topic.
The first week of the 2020-21 NFL season has officially ended with a load of surprises and spectacular stories to look at. The Washington Football Team scored 27 unanswered points, the Ravens blew out the Browns (to no one’s surprise), and Minshew Mania and the Jaguars were able to beat the Colts 27-20. The Jaguars game was a spectacle to watch as Minshew might have only thrown for 173 yards, but he completed over 90% of his passes along with throwing for 3 touchdowns and no interceptions.
With all of this talk about how the Jags are going to be the worst team of the season, how they are tanking for Lawrence, and so on, they were able to shut the mouths of critics this week and possibly for the rest of the season. That being said, should fans stop doubting Minshew Mania and the Jaguars like they did in the offseason? Let’s break down both sides of the aisle like we usually do and take a deep dive into this topic.
Fans should stop doubting Minshew and the Jaguars
This falls on the fact that even though the Jaguars lost a lot of key players, they still have their fair share of hidden gems on the roster. On offense they still have a great receiving core with DJ Chark Jr., Keelan Cole Sr, rookie Laviska Shenault Jr, and others. Also, we mustn’t forget about running back James Robinson who averaged four yards per carry against the Colts. On defense they still have Josh Allen, Myles Jack, rookie corner C.J Henderson, and Joe Schobert who are all exceptional players at each of their positions. The Jags have enough depth to play decently and there shouldn’t be any quarrels with that.
Another fact is that Minshew had the best rookie year out of all rookie Jaguar quarterbacks. While looking at rookie Jaguars quarterbacks that started double-digit games, there would only be four QBs to look at, including Minshew, with three of them being first-rounders (Byron Leftwich, Blaine Gabbert, and Blake Bortles). Minshew has a better record, more passing yards, more touchdowns, fewer interceptions, better quarterback rating, and better passing yards average per game than the other three quarterbacks listed.
What does this mean? It means that Minshew is easily one of the best quarterbacks to join the Jaguars organization in recent history. In addition, let’s not gloss over the fact that he played better than every single rookie quarterback in 2019.
This isn’t bad for a 6th-round pick, right?
Fans shouldn’t stop doubting Minshew and the Jaguars
Some fans are looking at the fact this is only the first game of the season and a sophomore slump could still occur in the latter weeks. A notable recent slump would be no other than Baker Mayfield. After a spectacular rookie campaign that totaled him 27 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and a 6-7 record, his sophomore campaign plundered as he had less touchdowns (22), more interceptions (21), and a worse record than last year (6-10). With that said, one game doesn’t mean that Minshew won’t have a slump as crazier occurrences have happened in this league. Fans should be optimistic about that.
Another point that this side brings up is the other parts of their schedule. The Jags and Minshew still have to plays the Titans and Texans twice, the entire AFC North, the Packers, and the Vikings. All of these games, possibly excluding the Bengals, will be tough to overcome and many of these look like easy losses for the team. The road won’t become easier as the season goes on; it will be tougher than a diamond.
That’s the case for if fans should stop doubting Minshew Mania and the Jags. I know this isn’t a Chiefs conversational topic like I usually do, but I thought this would interesting to write about given the fact that Jags were predicted to fail miserably. What are your thoughts on this? Leave a comment down below to join the discussion!
Thanks for reading and have a great day.
