Pro Football Focus: Gardner Minshew second-highest graded rookie of week 1
After Jacksonville Jaguars starting quarterback Nick Foles exited week 1's 40-26 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs after only two drives at the helm, sixth-round rookie backup quarterback Gardner Minshew was tasked with replacing him in the lineup. And while Jacksonville didn't come away with the win, Minshew made an impression.
Minshew's 22-of-25 passing for 275 yards and two touchdown performance was so impressive that Pro Football Focus has him as week 1's second-highest graded rookie in the NFL with an overall grade of 87.8. Here is what PFF had to say about the Jaguars' new starting quarterback:
Minshew was 22-for-25 for the day with 275 yards, and two of his three incompletions were dropped, while one was batted at the line of scrimmage. That means he threw a catchable pass on every target that reached a receiver. Minshew also mixed in two big-time throws, giving the Jaguars hope for the future despite the injury to Nick Foles.
It isn't surprising to see Minshew get high marks in PFF's grading system, even in the context of him facing a defense that didn't gameplan for him. He truly did not make a poor decision the entire game and, like PFF said, he would have had a new perfect day if it were not for a few miscues.
Minshew completed the first 13 of his passes and showed good poise throughout the game as he led Jacksonville on two scoring drives. The team will need him to replicate these types of performances if they want a fighting chance to stay in the hunt for the AFC South division title with Foles out.
