JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mike Glennon will start at quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
Coach Doug Marrone had Glennon and Gardner Minshew split first-team reps throughout the week before deciding to go with the eight-year veteran to try to snap a franchise-record 13-game losing streak.
Glennon’s fourth start of the season will come against one of his four former teams, but he will be without the team’s best offensive player, though, because running back James Robinson has been downgraded to out because of the ankle injury he suffered late in last week’s loss at Baltimore.
Glennon has completed 61% of his passes for 600 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions in losses to Cleveland, Minnesota and Tennessee. Marrone benched Glennon in the third quarter of the Jaguars’ 31-10 loss to Tennessee, and Minshew finished the game and started last week’s loss at Baltimore.
Minshew completed 22 of 29 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-14 loss to the Ravens. He also was sacked five times, including once for a safety, and Marrone opened up the competition this week.
“I’ve never been a part of any competition in practice the week of a game,” Glennon said earlier this week. “It’s definitely unique, but we just have to do our job and that’s to go out there and play to the best of our ability and leave those decisions to the decision-makers. It’s a unique situation. It’s been a unique year. A lot has come up this year that I don’t think any of us saw coming.”
Prior to this season, Glennon’s last start was Sept. 28, 2017, when he was with Chicago. He started the first four games that season before being benched for rookie Mitchell Trubisky, whom the Bears drafted with the second overall pick.
Robinson didn’t practice all week but was listed as questionable on Friday.
Robinson is third in the NFL in rushing (1,070 yards) and leads all rookies in rushing yards. He needs just 35 yards to break Dominic Rhodes’ record for must rushing yards by an undrafted rookie (1,104), but that will have to come in the season finale at Indianapolis.