By no means was this an easy game for Gardner Minshew.
He was sacked five times, hit seven and had to overcome multiple lead changes. But none of that mattered because at the end of the day, the Colts came out on top against the Baltimore Ravens.
"Just the fact that we fought through it, [things] didn't always go our way," Minshew said. "But I'm just proud of how we fought, how we kept getting back up because that's what it's all about really."
The win was Minshew's first as a starter since 2021 and the ninth of his career. He completed 27 of his 44 pass attempts for 227 yards and threw a touchdown. He also led the team on six scoring drives, most notably in overtime which led to Matt Gay's game-winning 53-yard field goal.
As a leader on the team, Minshew was counted on to keep the offense's confidence afloat, especially late in the game when it felt like their chances of winning were slipping through their fingers. Constantly reminding his teammates to stay positive, he knew they would have an opportunity to swing momentum back to their side.
"Just tell them to keep getting up man, " Minshew said. "Keep going. You know, we had some tough looks some things that didn't go right. That's all right. If we just stick with it and stay in there, we'll give ourselves a chance. And that's what happened today."
One of the ways that they gave themselves a chance was by Minshew completing a 34-yard pass to Michael Pittman Jr. in overtime. By far the longest completion of the game, the grab gave the offense a spark that it had been lacking for much of the contest.
"We needed somebody to make a play," Minshew said. "Gave him a chance, it was a tough chance, but he made it. So, I think that really helped us get it going."
While there is no word whether or not Anthony Richardson will be cleared for next Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams, head coach Shane Steichen knows exactly what he is going to get out of Minshew if he needs to start again this season.
"Just resiliency, just fighting and clawing and scratching, finding completions," Steichen said. "Obviously hit the big one to Pitt there on the double move in overtime and got us set up there. It was a great play by Pittman too and between two defenders. But just straight resiliency from Gardner."
