HOUSTON — Like so many of his teammates, Gardner Minshew was sure Leonard Fournette had gotten into the end zone.
Kneeling at the 41-yard line Sunday afternoon, Minshew watched breathlessly as a series of replays showed Fournette struggling toward the goal line on the game-deciding two-point conversion attempt.
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As one angle flashed across NRG Stadium’s big screens, Minshew stood up and raised his arms above his head, his right hand triumphantly holding his helmet as high as it could go.
“I thought he got it,” Minshew said after the game. “That’s how it goes sometimes. I bet 10 times out of 10 for him right there to get in there.”
What many expected to result in a Texas-sized beatdown by Houston instead became a brutal 13-12 loss for the Jaguars, another setback in a September that has been defined by adversity.
After Minshew rallied the Jaguars from what was a 10-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter, coach Doug Marrone was faced with his first critical decision of the young season.
Trailing by one after a four-yard touchdown catch by receiver DJ Chark with 30 seconds left, Marrone eschewed a potential game-tying extra-point attempt and went for the win.
It was daring yet sensible.
It was brazen yet calculated.
It just didn’t work.
The Jaguars lined up with Minshew in the shotgun and Fournette to his right. Three receivers were to the left. Tight end James O’Shaughnessy was on right tackle Jawaan Taylor’s outside hip.
Fournette took the hand-off and seemingly wanted to squeeze between center Brandon Linder and left guard Andrew Norwell. However, the play was disrupted as Linder and right guard A.J. Cann were pushed into the backfield.
Fournette was first contacted near the 2 but maintained his balance as he spun away from the attempted tackle. He lunged toward the goal line but was met by Texans safety Justin Reid.
— Big Minshew Country (@BigCatCountry) September 15, 2019
The call on the field — that Fournette came up just short — was confirmed upon review.
“I thought I got it when I reached the ball,” Fournette said, “but apparently (the referees) thought otherwise.”
It’s unfair to ding Marrone for choosing to play for the win. After all, he was playing with a rookie quarterback in Minshew who was making his first NFL start in place of Nick Foles. Also out were defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, cornerback A.J. Bouye, left tackle Cam Robinson and receiver Marqise Lee.
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The Jaguars were on the road against a superior team. Overtime offered no guarantees.
“That’s the team we want to be,” Chark said. “We don’t want to play it safe. We want to get the win.”
What’s fair to criticize is the decision to have Fournette plunge into the middle of an offensive line that had a disappointing game with six enforced penalties and consistently poor run blocking.
Fournette averaged just 3.1 yards on 15 rushing attempts Sunday and was particularly ineffective after halftime. He totaled 10 rushing yards on seven second-half carries (1.43 yards per attempt) with runs of 1, 2, 2, 0, 4, 0 and 1 yards.
Also worth considering is that Minshew was playing at his highest level of the game. He finished 23 of 33 for 213 yards and one touchdown — and was 11 of 16 for 122 yards and a TD over the final two drives as the offense produced nine points.
Why not take advantage of Minshew’s mobility (six carries, 56 yards) and try a read-option? Why not put the game in his hands and let him target a cast of receivers that has been pleasantly surprising through two games?
Marrone said he decided on attempting a two-point conversion prior to the Jaguars’ final possession. He defended the choice to run with Fournette by saying the Jaguars had “a bunch of different plays called” depending on the look the Texans gave them.
“In other words, we have a play for Cover 0, we had a play for Red 2, we had a play for single-high man, we had a play for bear man,” Marrone said, delving into coach speak. “And really, at the end of the day, we were fine with either one.”
All things considered, the Jaguars were more than fine with Minshew’s performance. Since relieving Foles, he has completed 45 of 58 passes for 488 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
First-time starter Gardner Minshew stood up to the pressure and performed well Sunday against the Texans. (Troy Taormina / USA Today)
Though Minshew misfired on several throws early in the game, his final drive showed poise, toughness and an ability to rise to the occasion.
“What didn’t he show? Heart, confidence, leadership, everything,” left tackle Will Richardson said of Minshew’s effort in the fourth quarter. “You look at a lot of quarterbacks in this league, and they’re really judged by how they finish a football game and how they react on the last drive. For him to get us in the end zone, I feel like that was a great play by him, great focus by him.”
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Said defensive tackle Marcell Dareus: “We have something special (in Minshew). We’ve got to just let it unfold. No pressure on him. Just let him play. He showed it this whole game. The scoreboard did not show what actually happened in this game.”
Maybe not, but the Jaguars have no choice but to live with the result, which is an 0-2 record and a short week ahead before they host Tennessee on Thursday night in an attempt to save their season.
It’s possible the Jaguars would not have been in the position of needing a late score to tie the game had their offensive line performed better. That’s a credit to their defense, which recovered from its meltdown in the season opener against Kansas City (allowing 24 first downs and 491 yards) to limit Houston to 17 first downs and 263 yards.
Linder, Richardson and Taylor were each flagged twice apiece, including a sequence in the third quarter when Linder was penalized for holding and Richardson for a false start in succession. That pushed a drive that had moved to the Houston 39 back to the Jacksonville 44. The Jaguars eventually punted.
In the fourth quarter, a holding call on Taylor wiped away a 29-yard completion to Chark. On the next play, Texans outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus used a quick spin move to get between Richardson and Norwell before sacking and stripping Minshew. Houston scored its only touchdown four plays later when quarterback Deshaun Watson scrambled for a 2-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1.
“It was a great move by him,” Richardson said. “We had a ‘Liz’ call. We were working the slide there, so when he did do the spin, I’m responsible for the outside. Andrew got there a little late and tried to hold onto him, but Mercilus, you’ve got to give him credit for what he does. He’s a really good player.”
Of the protection call, Richardson further explained: “I’m supposed to have (an inside) presence but keep my eyes outside. When I didn’t feel Norwell, it was like, ‘Oh, shit.’ (Norwell) got there late and (Mercilus) made a great play.”
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A tense fourth quarter provided some drama after a mostly tame first half.
Drawing more attention than the on-field product was a sideline disagreement between Marrone and cornerback Jalen Ramsey, possibly because Marrone did not challenge a third-down completion to Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Marrone was seen approaching Ramsey as he sat on the bench, and the two appeared to exchange words. Safety Ronnie Harrison eventually guided Marrone away from the area.
Clip of Jalen Ramsey briefly getting into it with Doug Marrone. https://t.co/bu9qPLiOsm
— Phillip Heilman (@phillip_heilman) September 15, 2019
Ramsey declined to speak to the media after the game. Marrone twice said he could not “recall” what led to the dispute.
“A lot of emotion in the game,” he said.
Potential friction between Ramsey and Marrone is a storyline worth following. But frustration isn’t the worst emotion for this Jaguars team to feel.
Had Minshew appeared completely overmatched or the defense failed to come up with answers, the season outlook would have been significantly worse.
For now, the disappointment of a tough loss is better than the numbness of a wasted season.
“We made a lot of mistakes, but in the end, we had a chance to win,” defensive end Calais Campbell said. “That’s something we can believe in, something we can use going forward. There’s a lot of football left.”
(Top photo of Leonard Fournette: Troy Taormina / USA Today)