Colts' Gardner Minshew Proving He's Best as a Backup QB
At just 27 years old, Gardner Minshew could have a long career as an NFL quarterback still ahead of him. But it's not likely to be as a starter.
With the opportunity to prove he should lead an NFL team, Minshew fell flat on his face against the team that drafted him, the Jacksonville Jaguars, in Week 6.
He completed a season-low 60% of his passes for an average of 5.98 yards per attempt. Minshew also had 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions in the 37-20 loss.
Minshew now has two starts and two appearances in relief for the Indianapolis Colts this season. The difference in his play during those starts and appearances has been night and day.
In the two starts, Minshew owns a 60.6% completion percentage and 5.6 yards per attempt average. But in his two relief appearances, he has an 81.1% completion percentage and 8.8 yards per pass average.
Minshew didn't have extended playing time off the bench last season, but his statistics in two starts were similar to what he's done in two starts this year. With the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, he had a 58.3% completion percentage with a 8.7 yards per attempt average, 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in two starts.
The Eagles, who posted a 14-3 record last season, lost both games.
Minshew is now 9-17 in his career as a starter. He is 3-11 since his rookie season.
As ESPN's Stephen Holder noted, when opposing defenses have a week to prepare for Minshew, he struggles. That hasn't just been the case this year; that's been Minshew's trend since 2020.
Unfortunately for the Colts, Minshew could remain in the starting lineup for quite some time. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that the Colts and starting rookie signal caller Anthony Richardson are strongly considering season-ending surgery to repair the sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder.
Richardson suffered the injury in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans.
If that's the case, Minshew will become Indianapolis' starter for the rest of the season. At the very least, he will be behind center for the next three games while Richardson sits for the minimum amount of games on injured reserve.
Minshew will look to win his second game of the 2023 season against the Cleveland Browns next Sunday. Minshew hasn't won two games as a starter in a season since 2019.
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