Bortles-led Jaguars on AFC playoff prowl
Quarterback Blake Bortles is still fighting for respect despite his and the team’s recent success,
The Jacksonville Jaguars are going to the playoffs, and quarterback Blake Bortles is a major reason why.
Three weeks ago, the Jaguars were locked in a tie with the Tennessee Titans for first place in the AFC South. They haven’t lost since and on in Week 15, they clinched their first postseason berth since 2007. During the three-game streak, Bortles has been, statistically, the best quarterback in football.
Just like that, the narrative on Bortles, 25, is starting to turn and it’s looking more like he’ll remain a part of the Jaguars’ plans.
That’s where things get interesting. Jacksonville picked up Bortles’ fifth-year option in the offseason, which would pay him a little more than $19 million in 2018. He’ll likely get a multi-year deal that could knock down the cap hit a little in 2018.
If that is the plan, the team has to ask itself two how good Bortles really is and how much they’ll have to pay him.
If the team determines that this little stretch is more of a hot streak than a sign of things to come, the answer to question No. 2 might not even matter. But this front office and coaching staff supported Bortles after a disastrous 2016 season; so, clearly, they believe in him.
But even in this streak, Bortles’ mechanics remain out of whack. Also, a lot of his’ production is on throws to his first read, and what’s going to happen when defenses are able to take away his first read? That might be sooner rather than later, because the Jaguars have pared down the offense and not shown much variation in their passing concepts the last three weeks.
Of course, that could just be good coaching. Doug Marrone might have gone to Bortles and said, “OK, Blake, what plays do you like best?” and then tailored the gameplan to his response.
It also would be foolish to dismiss the first 11 games of the season and conclude that the small sample size of the last three games are who Bortles will be going forward. During those first 11 games, he completed 58.3% of his passes for an average of 6.45 yards-per-attempt and a passer rating of 79.5. Those are bottom- of-the-league numbers.
The schedule has helped Bortles the last three weeks. He has gone up against the Indianapolis Colts’ 30th-ranked defense, the Houston Texans’ 25th-ranked defense and a Seattle Seahawks defense that has struggled because of injuries in its secondary.
Is Bortles flipping a switch and developing into a good quarterback overnight or is he going on a hot streak against bad competition these last three weeks?
Bortles remains a flawed quarterback who is capable of creating some big plays because of his athleticism and fearlessness in the pocket. When he’s turning the ball over, he’s one of the worst starters in the league. When he’s protecting the ball, he’s serviceable but lacks the efficiency to be anything more than serviceable. What do you pay for that? Usually, quarterbacks have the leverage in these scenarios, but the Jags have it because of deeper-than-usual draft and free agent classes.
Things will get more complicated if Bortles continues to play well into the playoffs, but that is a complication the Jaguars would welcome. Just don’t expect it to happen.