Mike LaFleur left AT&T Stadium on Sunday with a 33-30 overtime victory and a decision he was not ready to announce.
The Arizona Cardinals coach declined to say whether Gardner Minshew or Jacoby Brissett will start Sunday at Seattle. "I'm just excited about this win right now," he said when asked, according to ESPN. ESPN, citing a source, reported that Minshew is expected to stay in the job.
What prompted the switch
Brissett, who started the game, completed 10 of 23 passes for 119 yards, threw an interception and took four sacks before LaFleur made the change, down 17-3 and with 1:35 to go in the third quarter. The offense had also failed to score touchdowns on its first two red-zone trips, extending a run of one touchdown in 12 such chances, according to ESPN.
Minshew, who joined Arizona in the offseason on a $5.75 million, one-year contract, was playing for the first time this season. He completed 17 of 23 for 188 yards and threw three touchdown passes, and Arizona scored a touchdown on each of his four possessions in regulation, the last on a 13-yard throw for Michael Wilson with six seconds to play.
After Chad Ryland pushed the extra point wide, the defense forced a three-and-out in overtime, and Ryland made a 42-yard field goal to win it.
"I thought we needed a spark," LaFleur said, according to the team's website. He also cautioned against reading too much into one half. "I don't want this last 30 minutes or 35 minutes to mask the stuff that we need to fix on offense," he said, as quoted by ESPN.
Asked about the change, he told reporters, per Pro Football Talk, "I know what the story is going to be, and so does [Brissett], but it was the collective."
Minshew said he would take things a day at a time and "give it our best, regardless."
The bigger problem may be the injury list
Whoever starts could be missing much of the supporting cast. Running back Jeremiyah Love left with a right ankle injury, the third time this season he has hurt an ankle, and Bam Knight was checked for a concussion after a hit late in the first half, the Cardinals reported.
Kendrick Bourne went out before halftime with an ankle injury, and LaFleur was not encouraging about it afterward, according to the team. Starting left tackle Jayden Williams hurt a knee, and rookie receiver Reggie Virgil injured his back after striking the goal post.
