When the Jaguars signed Nick Foles to be their starting QB this offseason it seemed like a perfect match. The former Super Bowl MVP had proven with two years in Philadelphia that he was a capable starting QB that can manage an offense. The Jaguars just needed someone that could play well enough to keep the offense on the field while the defense and run game did most of the work.
For a moment, in the Jaguars opening game of the 2019 season, the perfect match met expectations. Foles fired a high deep ball to the corner of the endzone and threw his first touchdown in Jacksonville. The new era was ready. And then just like that it was over. Foles was tackled to the ground and immediately injured to the left shoulder. He didn’t bother going to the medical tent. No, he walked to the X-Ray room. The news wasn’t good.
#Jaguars QB Nick Foles has a broken left clavicle. Expect to hear more from coach Doug Marrone shortly.
— Phillip Heilman (@phillip_heilman) September 8, 2019
#Jaguars QB Nick Foles suffered a fracture clavicle. He’s out indefinitely.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 8, 2019
Just like that the Nick Foles era already reached a snag. After the game, Foles was ruled out indefinitely, an uncertain timetable that often is measured in months rather than weeks. The Jaguars had to look to rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew III under center, and he finished the game with 22 completions on 25 attempts and 275 yards passing for two touchdowns. That’s what you want when making the most out of a bad situation, but it’s still not what the Jaguars planned. It also wasn’t enough to get the win as the Jaguars fell to the Chiefs 40-26.
Foles is a proven quarterback. He’s being paid a lot of money to play like a Super Bowl MVP. You would much rather put the ball in the hands of your planned quarterback instead of an unproven rookie, but with an injury like this, that is probably what the Jaguars will have to do for the immediate future.
