Colts' Gardner Minshew Takes Accountability for Loss to Jaguars

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew was honest about his performance in a brutal loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After Anthony Richardson went down last week against the Tennessee Titans, Gardner Minshew took the reins at quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts.

Minshew kept the Colts' offense afloat on the way to a 23-16 win. His ability to make smart decisions with the football in Richardson's stead had head coach Shane Steichen calling Minshew the best backup quarterback in football.

Minshew's performance last week had the Colts confident that even if Richardson had to miss time, the offense would be okay. But after Minshew's outing on Sunday, that confidence may be shaken just a bit.

Minshew and the Colts were throttled by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, falling 37-20 in Jacksonville. Minshew had a very uncharacteristic day, turning the ball over four times, resulting in 17 points for the Jaguars. The loss continues the Colts losing streak in Jacksonville, as Indy still has not won a game at EverBank Stadium since 2014.

"At the end of the day, I was careless with the ball," Minshew said after the loss. "I didn't do a good enough job taking care of it. I put our team in a really bad spot, you know, and it's not fair to the rest of the guys, so I'm really going to look at those, hold myself accountable."

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew II (10) on the bench during game action at EverBank Stadium on Sunday, Oct 15, 2023, in Jacksonville :: © Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Minshew finished 33-of-55 (60%) for 329 yards, a touchdown, three interceptions, and a lost fumble. Before Sunday, Minshew had never had a game in his NFL career with multiple interceptions. Minshew took the blame for every interception, vouching he would learn from his mistakes.

"The one to Pitt (Michael Pittman Jr.) I sailed," Minshew explained. "The other end I sailed, and there was a fourth down, coverage zero, I dropped, and I tried to lay a ball up there and I should have thrown it more outside. I'm going to learn from it and get better from it."

Turnovers killed the Colts on Sunday. The Indy offense would finally get things going, moving the ball downfield on big pass plays to Pittman or Jonathan Taylor, only to be halted by bad interceptions from Minshew. It made getting into a rhythm offensively almost impossible.

Steichen also took the blame for the interceptions as he attempted to take the heat off of his quarterback.

"Obviously, we got ourselves in a hole there with the turnovers," Steichen said. "We got to do better there. It starts with myself doing a better job there, but I thought our guys fought hard and fought until the end. Obviously, we kept getting ourselves in a hole. I got to do better, like I said. And hats off to Jacksonville."

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Another reason the Colts had trouble on offense was the lack of a running game. After rushing for 193 yards against the Titans a week ago, the Colts mustered only 44 yards on the ground against the Jaguars. Zack Moss (21 yards) and Taylor (19 yards) were non-factors for most of the day as Jacksonville stifled the Colts' ground attack.

"I thought they had a good plan," Minshew commented on the Jaguars' defense. "They were base 11 (personnel) for a lot of it, so some tough matchups ... When they do that, we do have to make them pay outside and, you know, I think personally we'll all take that personally as a challenge and I think we'll respond right away."

It did not help that the Colts found themselves in a 31-6 hole in the third quarter. At that point, the Colts had to become one-dimensional, throwing the ball for the rest of the contest to get back into the game.

"Early on, they did a good job against the run and then got the interceptions," Steichen elaborated. "And we ended up having to throw it 50-plus times there to try to get back in it so, again, hats off to Jacksonville."

But in the end, the loss falls on Minshew. The quarterback failed to take care of the football, something Minshew has done whenever his number has been called this season. He was asked to elevate the offense through the air, and the Jaguars proved too much to handle.

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Travon Walker (44) makes a hit on Indianapolis Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew (10) as he attempts a late fourth quarter pass :: © Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

"Just kept shooting ourselves in the foot one way or another," Minshew reflected. "Personally, I was not good enough, I got to be better and give us a chance to win."

Sunday was supposed to be a revenge game for Minshew. Going against the team that traded him away in 2021, Minshew had a little extra motivation. It was time to get the last laugh and end the Colts' streak of losing in Jacksonville. Unfortunately, that did not happen.

But credit Minshew for not hiding from the questions after the game and taking responsibility for the loss. He knows his performance was not good enough and not at all what his team needs out of him. While some quarterbacks would have shied away, Minshew vowed to stay confident and be better next week.

"We're not going to tuck our tail," Minshew admitted. "We're not going to drop our chin. We're just going to keep rushing through and learn from it and we'll come out the other side better."

With the Colts and Richardson seriously considering season-ending surgery on the rookie's injured shoulder, Minshew may be leading the offense for the rest of 2023. If Minshew plays like he did against the Titans, Indy will be just fine. If he plays like he did against the Jaguars, it will likely be a long rest of the year for the Colts.

Time will tell which Minshew the Colts will have under center moving forward.

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