Nick Foles benched in Jacksonville Jaguars' loss to Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The Jacksonville Jaguars benched starting quarterback and former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles during Sunday's 28-11 defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After a shaky first half against the Buccaneers, Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone opted to insert Gardner Minshew, a sixth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, into the game to start the third quarter.

Minshew previously started eight games in place of Foles, who suffered a broken collarbone in the team's regular-season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Foles had three turnovers on the Jaguars' opening three possessions against Tampa Bay, becoming the first NFL quarterback to do that since Chicago Bears signal-caller Mike Glennon in 2017. Jacksonville's offense had three straight three-and-outs on its next three drives, compiling only 105 offensive yards and five first downs while trailing 25-0 at halftime.

Minshew completed 16-of-27 passes for 147 yards, one touchdown and an interception in place of Foles, who was 7-of-14 passing for 93 yards with one interception and two fumbles.

It remains unclear whether Marrone's choice to bench Foles is a permanent decision to fix the Jaguars' offensive woes. Jacksonville signed Foles to a four-year, $88 million contract in March, according to Spotrac. The deal included a franchise-record $50.125 million guaranteed.

Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston completed 21-of-33 throws for 268 yards and fumbled once against the Jaguars. Peyton Barber had a team-high 17 carries for 44 yards and two rushing scores.

The Jaguars will host the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 8.