In Thursday Night Football, the Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Tennessee Titans with 20-7 and notched their first win of the season. In the game marked with a bit bad officiating in the first round, the guy who stood above was Gardner Minshew.
Once Nick Foles had to go out against the Chiefs, many believed that the season for the Jags might be over. However, the rookie from Washington State whose been 178th overall pick in this draft has other plans.
He confidently stepped up and replaced the former Super Bowl MVP. This Thursday he dazzled the Titans in the first 15 minutes, delivering two touchdown passes to his teammates and running the offense like a veteran.
“It’s good,” Jags’ head coach Doug Marrone said about Minshew’s performance at the press conference. “I really think it’s good. Actually, it’s remarkable, to be honest with you.”
The 23-year old ended the night with 204 yards, completing 20 of his 30 passes. He had those two TDs, one to James O’Shaughnessy and the second to DJ Chark. All in all, the more youngest was good. The offensive line protected him well, and he too was able to foresee the Titans’ defense plans and to avoid any sacks.
On the other side, Marcus Mariota wasn’t that lucky. Tennessee’s quarterback suffered massive beating last night, being sacked nine times. The Jaguars’ defense killed him on the filed. Titans lost 55 yards on his sacks, and above that, their indiscipline cost them 101 yards. But, truth to be told, it seems that the refs overexaggerated a little bit. They were trying to set the criteria early on and were too harsh in some situations.
Even Tom Brady criticized the officiating, saying that the refs have gone too far.
“I’m turning off this game I can’t watch these ridiculous penalties anymore,” Brady wrote on his Twitter account.
Mariota ended the night with 304 yards, 23 of 40 without either a TD or an interception. The sole score for the guest was delivered by Derrick Henry, who had a one-yard carry into the endzone. He too, was way below his usual level of play managing to post just 44 yards on 17 carries, which is a way to low for his caliber.
Mariota was very harsh on himself and his team at the press conference explaining that they didn’t fulfill any of the thoughts from the game plan and that it was mostly because of their own faults.
“When you’re not able to sustain drives and get opportunities in the red zone, it’s hard to score points,” he said.
The Titans are now in a tough situation. They have a game against the Falcons coming up on September 30, in Atlanta, and after that head back home to face the unpredictable Buffalo Bills. Tennessee had high hopes of this season, and if they start with 1-4, everything will go down the drain. The Jags might even be in a more difficult position. After this event, Marrone’s guys have two road contests. The first one is against the Broncos in Denver. Following that one, they go to North Carolina, to clash with the Panthers.
