With playoffs in sight, Jaguars have no reservations about Blake Bortles

Lindsay H. Jones | USA TODAY

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Blake Bortles is poised to become a playoff quarterback.

That idea might elicit snickers given Bortles' history of interceptions, losses and repeated offseasons spent overhauling his throwing mechanics for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But the Jaguars’ mantra as they make a push to win the AFC South and secure their first playoff bid since 2007 is that last year doesn’t matter.

“Sometimes I see it when (the media) put my interviews out there or whatever, people will comment on it like, ‘You've got to remember Blake's your quarterback’. Yeah, we know,” cornerback Jalen Ramsey said. “We know who our quarterback is and we know what he's been doing, week in, week out, helping us get victories.”

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Bortles, in his fourth season after the Jaguars selected him with the No. 3 pick in 2014, has remade his game enough to be the type of quarterback a team with the NFL’s best defense needs – one who has cut down on his mistakes but remains confident enough to take big shots when needed.

His passing has dropped to an average of 217 yards per game after throwing for 276 in 2015. He’s also on pace for 20 touchdowns, which would be the lowest since his rookie season in which he started 14 games.

But his interception numbers have plummeted as well, with just eight picks in 13 games after throwing 51 the previous three seasons. His current mark is below that of Matt Ryan, Ben Roethlisberger, Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson, who threw three interceptions in the Jaguars’ 30-24 win over the Seahawks on Sunday.

Bortles threw two touchdowns in the game, each to a rookie receiver. His 75-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keelan Cole, one play after the Seahawks tied the game at 10, was a reflection of his confidence, as well as his team’s belief in him during the Jaguars’ first meaningful December stretch since he arrived.

“We’ve said it all year long, there’s going to come a time when we’re going to have to find a way to win offensively,” Bortles said.

Bortles has passed for more than 300 yards just twice this year, and the Jaguars have been at their best offensively when they’ve kept the burden off him. In Jacksonville’s nine wins, Bortles has averaged 30 pass attempts per game (including two outlier performances, a 14-attempt game in a win against Pittsburgh, and a 51-attempt day in a win against the Chargers). In the four losses, Bortles has averaged 34 attempts per game.

“Blake is a top, Pro Bowl quarterback in my mind. Playing his little ass off,” defensive end Malik Jackson told USA TODAY Sports. “Doing what the offense wants him to do and what the offense needs him to do and what the team needs him to do. I couldn't be happier for him.”

If Bortles can help the Jaguars win the AFC South and continue to show he can be efficient, it could have significant financial payoff. The Jaguars picked up Bortles’ fifth-year option on his rookie deal, with a 2018 salary of about $19 million. But the team could also cut him without any financial penalty, though each win this year makes that seem less likely.

And right now, his teammates want Bortles to stick around.

“These last couple of games he’s playing amazing. He looks like Tom Brady these last couple of games, and I know Tom Brady does it all the time, but these last couple of games Blake was out there leading the team, playing confident and having fun,” defensive end Calais Campbell said. “And the receivers were making plays for him, and you know if we play like that we can be very scary.”

Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.

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