Gardner Minshew on near-perfect Eagles debut: ‘It felt so good, man’

Gardner Minshew made his first start with the Eagles on Sunday afternoon. It came in Philadelphia’s Week 13 game against the Jets. Philadelphia’s No. 1 quarterback, Jalen Hurts, missed the game with an ankle injury.

Thanks to Minshew’s performance, the Eagles didn’t miss Hurts much in their 33-18 road win.

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Minshew, in fact, had one of the best games of his career. His outing drew praise from Eagles coach Nick Sirianni.

“I thought he played a really good game,” Sirianni said, per ESPN. “Our message to Gardner was, go out there and be yourself, protect that football. You’ve got a good supporting cast around you . . . so go out there and be yourself, and that’s going to be enough. And he did. He went out there and he played a really outstanding game.”

Just how outstanding was Minshew? He completed 20 of 25 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns while posting a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Philadelphia’s offense scored on each of its first seven drives. The Eagles punted only on their last possession, during which they didn’t attempt a pass.

“It felt so good, man. It’s the best time I’ve had since Week 1 of last year. There’s nothing like that feeling,” Minshew said, referring to his last win as a starter, for the Jaguars against the Colts. “Glad to do it with this group of guys. They made it easy for me.”

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While Minshew played well, Sirianni was quick to dismiss any notion of a quarterback controversy in Philadelphia.

“I think [Hurts has] played really good football,” Sirianni said. “There’s been times when he’s been one of the best in the league. The way he’s moved around, made plays, we look at that quarterback rating and what he’s had there. He’s played really good football when he’s in, so when he’s healthy and he’s back, he’ll be our starter.”

The Eagles have a bye next week, so expect Hurts to return to action in Week 15.

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