Breaking: Colts HC Makes A Strong Statement About Gardner Minshew

The Indianapolis Colts have made a surprise playoff push this season, and are doing so with a backup quarterback.

Gardner Minshew has played in 11 of 12 games for the Colts this season and started the past seven after first-round rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 5.

The Colts are 7-5 and have won four consecutive games with him under center.

His play is a big reason why Indianapolis has a legitimate shot at the postseason, and first-year head coach Shane Steichen knows it.

Steichen told SiriusXM NFL Radio this week that Minshew’s demeanor is the reason the Colts have been so successful on offense.

“He’s just a guy that loves ball,” Steichen said on SiriusXM NFL Radio this week. “And I think when you got a guy, especially at that position, that loves ball, you’re going to be successful in this league.”

Minshew isn’t playing at an otherworldly level, but he’s helped the Colts turn out the eighth-best scoring offense in the league.

But Minshew is no normal backup quarterback.

He started 14 games for the Jacksonville Jaguars during his rookie season in 2019 after Nick Foles broke his collarbone and started another eight for the Jaguars in 2020.

Minshew also started four games from 2021-2022 for the Philadelphia Eagles.

He has ample experience with various offenses, and it’s a big reason with he’s been able to elevate the Colts’ after their franchise quarterback went down with a serious injury.

Minshew will have to build on his performance, though, without running back Jonathan Taylor.

Taylor broke his thumb recently and could miss the rest of the season.

A bout with the Cincinnati Bengals awaits in Week 14.

Indianapolis has won five consecutive games just three times since the 2009 campaign when the Colts reached Super Bowl XLIV.

Isn’t it ironic?

The Indianapolis Colts trailed the Tennessee Titans 28-25 with 4:19 left in overtime before Gardner Minshew engineered his sixth career game-winning drive, launching a 56-yard bomb to receiver Alex Pierce.

The Cincinnati Bengals trailed the Jacksonville Jaguars three times on Monday Night Football before kicker Eric McPherson ultimately kicked a walk-off game-winning field goal to escape victorious in overtime and give backup quarterback Jake Browning his first career win.

Indianapolis has won five consecutive games just three times since the 2009 campaign when the Colts reached Super Bowl XLIV.

2014: Indianapolis defeated Cincinnati 27-0 to win its fifth consecutive game in 2014. In the postseason, the Colts beat the Bengals in the Wild Card round, then beat Peyton Manning and the Broncos at Mile High Stadium in the Divisional round, before ultimately falling to the Patriots in the AFC Championship game.

2018: Four years later was Frank Reich’s first season at the helm, coincidentally after serving as the offensive coordinator for the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. After starting the season 1-5, the Colts won five straight games and became the third team in NFL history to make the playoffs after losing five of its first six games. The Colts won the last four games of the regular season, beat the Texans in the wild card round before ultimately falling to Kansas City 31-13 in the first playoff game for Patrick Mahomes, which also was the last NFL game for Andrew Luck.

First-year head coach Shane Steichen has put together a solid case to be an NFL Coach of the Year candidate. Indianapolis ranks eighth in scoring 25.0 points per game and has scored at least 20 points in 11 games, tied with the Detroit Lions for the most in the league. The Colts four-game win streak is tied with the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers for the NFL’s longest active win streak.

Steichen mentioned Wednesday the Bengals play tough and physical, so the Colts must review the tape study to limit the explosive plays. The Colts are 5-2 (.714) in one possession games, which is the fourth best winning percentage in the league.

“I think the focus is on what you can control and the focus is on this week,” Steichen said. Yeah, we’ve won four in a row, but no one cares anymore. It’s all about this week. That’s where our focus is at, on Cincinnati, and we have got to have basically tunnel vision on the Cincinnati Bengals. We know that we can control our own destiny, but it doesn’t matter because we’ve got to handle business on Sunday.”

Defensive tackle Grover Stewart is set to return in Week 14 from his six-game suspension after testing positive for performance-enhancing substances. The Colts are on the cusp of the first five-game winning streak in the post-Luck era and must play complimentary football in all three phases to emerge victorious on the trip to Cincinnati.