OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 15: Quarterback Gardner Minshew II #15 of the Jacksonville Jaguars and wide ... [+]
The Jaguars traveled cross-country only to ruin the Raiders’ final game at RingCentral Coliseum on Sunday by shocking them in a 20-16 come-from-behind thriller. Heading into the game, Jacksonville head coach Doug Marrone knew that playing in this finale was going to be special.
“If you love football and you are a football historian, which I am, there is a lot of great things. I kept thinking that Mr. Davis was somewhere watching this game,” Marrone told reporters in Oakland during his post-game press conference. “I was very fortunate to have a really good relationship with him near the end when I was the head coach at Syracuse. I told our players that it was going to be a hostile crowd and we need to use that energy to help us win.”
The atmosphere in Oakland was indeed hostile and Jacksonville rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew used that to his advantage as he guided the Jaguars to a win they so desperately needed.
“It was the last game here. We talked about it with our players a lot. The year hasn’t gone well for us,” Marrone admitted. “Today we will at least have something that you might tell your grandchildren about one day. It is a pretty good memory.”
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 15: Gardner Minshew II #15 of the Jacksonville Jaguars is tackled by ... [+]
The Jaguars offense has struggled this year despite high expectations heading into the season with the offseason acquisition of veteran quarterback Nick Foles who inked an $88 million four-year deal last March. When Foles got injured in Week 1 of the season Minshew took over and led the team to a 4-4 record as a starter. Once Foles became healthy he returned as the starter but was unable to lead the team into the win column. Minshew, whose $2.7 million four-year rookie deal (per Spotrac.com) is significantly lower than Foles, was tabbed the starter for the remainder of the season on December 2nd. The Jaguars lost to the Chargers by a score of 45-10 and whispers of the team quitting could be heard.
Early on in Oakland on Sunday, it looked as though the offensive woes would continue when the Raiders took a 16-3 lead into halftime. However, despite the hostile atmosphere, Minshew managed to lead the team to victory with two key fourth quarter touchdown passes to wide receiver Chris Conley.
“Yeah, these games are the most fun. They suck for 90 percent of it, you feel like crap,” Minshew told reporters after the game. “But then you keep grinding and find a way. There’s nobody I’d rather do it with than these guys.”
Minshew thrived under pressure in the rather unfriendly territory. He completed 17 of 29 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns.
“I probably saw more middle fingers today than I have in my whole life,” Minshew said. “These fans have a good time though and it was fun to ruin that for them.”
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 15: Leonard Fournette #27 of the Jacksonville Jaguars waves to booing ... [+]
Jaguars’ running back Leonard Fournette also played well in front of the 52,788 rowdy fans in Oakland. He totaled 73 scrimmage yards (42 rushing, 31 receiving) and has now posted a career-high for rushing yards in a single season with 1,081.
“Yeah, it was cool. It was crazy. You know, people yelling at you, calling you all types of [expletive] every two minutes. I enjoyed it to be honest,” Fournette said.
Veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell also appreciated the chance to close out the Coliseum.
“All week I was just thinking about how historic this place is, this city, football in this city, the legendary coaches, legendary players, legendary owner. Football is big in this building and just to be a part of it in the last game here and to pull out a win it feels good.” Campbell said. “We wanted to play well. It was a great motive for us. The whole game we just kept believing and found a way to get it done baby. Just win baby.”
Of course, leave it to the young rookie to work his Minshew Magic and sum up the day in his unique way.
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 15: Chris Conley #18 of the Jacksonville Jaguars celebrates scoring ... [+]
“It was awesome. It’s a piece of football history. Something special to be a part of,” Minshew noted. “It will be an Aflac trivia question 20 years from now, so it’s definitely going to be cool to be a part of that.”
This was also the Jaguars’ first win on the West Coast since defeating Oakland 13-6 on Jan 2, 2005. Jacksonville hits the road again next weekend to visit the Falcons in Atlanta.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/debbitaylor/2019/12/16/jaguars-snap-5-game-skid-in-raiders-historical-finale-in-oakland/
2019-12-16 05:10:28Z
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