What Did We Learn From the Jaguars’ Comeback Win vs. the Raiders?
Following a six-yard quarterback run with 2:12 left in Sunday's game between the Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr held up a big ‘O’ in honor of the Raiders last game in Oakland. But he should’ve held up an ‘L’ because that’s what the Jaguars handed the Raiders in its last game in the Oakland Coliseum following a long game-winning drive led by rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew.
What did we learn from the Jaguars first win in five weeks? Well, we didn’t learn anything new about this team, with the exception of the effort and confidence that was displayed by Jacksonville. Last week against the Chargers the offense and defense were anemic, lifeless, and there was not a single positive takeaway to be taken away from the lifeless effort that the Jaguars displayed. Obviously, that loss awoke something inside the team.
The Jaguars also came into this game feeling like they had something to play for - for the first time since midway through the 2019 season. With this being the last game in Oakland, you know the Jaguars wanted to put on a show and ruin the party; and they did exactly that.
The Jaguars always love playing spoiler in games with this type of magnitude. The club was a big part of Jim Kelly and Dan Marino’s decision to call it a career, so this game was a good ode to those who have been watching the team since the beginning.
The defensive line showed up all game long - which might be the hardest working group on the whole team. Josh Allen reached double-digit sacks on the season, which is just so impressive despite his snap count. Yannick Ngkaoue continued to be a force in the pass game and run game, and Calais Campbell got his as well. Ngkaoue is still making his case for the Jaguars to pay him - Ngkaoue and Allen can be a lethal pass rushing combo for years, almost Dwight Freeny and Robert Mathis-like.
Another thing we learned was the offensive line can actually play decent football sometimes - I’d go on a limb and say pass blocking wise, this might’ve been the best game the offensive line put together. Multiple times Minshew had time to throw and was able to dance around the pocket to make plays with his legs or with his arm.
Minshew really grew up in front of our eyes, and he now has two game-winning drives on his resume this season, with both of them coming on the road. Minshew also hasn’t thrown an interception on the road yet this season, and he took good care of the ball in this game as well. No interceptions and no costly fumbles either.
Everyone likes to talk about Minshew’s pocket presence and it might be getting a little tiresome, but seriously not enough can be said about how calm and collected Minshew looks in the pocket every time he drops back to pass. When you watch Minshew drop back to throw, you truly can watch his eyes and see him go through his progressions quickly and make a quick and smart decision. He knows when the pocket is collapsing when he needs to go, and he knows when to throw it away. It is truly like watching a ten-year vet under center.
The game-winning drive was a sight to behold, which is why so many people are campaigning for Minshew to be the quarterback of the future. He was calm and poised during the entire drive. You can’t play in a more hostile environment than in Oakland in front of thousands of Raiders fans watching their team play its last game on that field.
Minshew said it best when he said, “I’ve never seen so many middle fingers in my life, it was nice to ruin that for them.” Minshew was never panicked during that drive, he made great decisions that led the Jaguars all the way down the field to score a touchdown and take the lead and eventually the victory.
