Colts Turning to Former Jaguars QB to End Skid in Jacksonville
The last time the Indianapolis Colts won in Jacksonville, rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson was 12 years old. But in an ironic twist, it won't be Richardson behind center for the Colts in Week 6. Instead, it will be Gardner Minshew.
Minshew isn't all that much older than Richardson. He was in high school the last time the Colts took down the Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field in 2014.
But unlike anyone who will be wearing a horseshoe on their helmet this Sunday, Minshew has experienced positives at TIAA Bank Field over the past decade. He's even won there in the Jaguars-Colts rivalry.
Minshew, who began his career with the Jaguars as a sixth-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft, went 4-6 as a starter at home in Jacksonville during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Two of those victories came against the Colts.
Those are two of Indianapolis' losses at TIAA Bank Field since 2015. The Colts will enter Sunday on an eight-game losing streak in Jacksonville.
That skid somehow survived a 1-win Jacksonville season. The Jaguars won only one game during the entire 2020 season. It was against the Colts at home.
In that matchup, Minshew was the starting quarterback for Jacksonville.
Last year, the Colts believed Matt Ryan was their answer to the TIAA Bank Field problem. Ryan won there twice with the Falcons in 2015 and 2021.
But Ryan's lone trip to Jacksonville with the Colts ended in a 24-0 beat down during Week 2 last season. It foreshadowed what was to come for the 2022 Colts.
Indianapolis may be at a crossroads again as it prepares to revisit TIAA Bank Field. The Colts will have to navigate at least the next four weeks without their starting quarterback. Richardson went on injured reserve on Wednesday with a Grade 3 AC joint sprain.
Richardson is obviously the team's future, and it's never a good thing for a team to lose its starting quarterback.
But maybe Minshew, a quarterback perhaps a little extra motivated to face his former team on the road, is what the Colts need to end their bizarre losing streak in Jacksonville.
Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.
Subscribe to Horseshoe Huddle on YouTube for daily Colts live-stream podcasts!
