Jacksonville Jaguars: Blake Bortles Finally Shows Why He Was #3 Pick

Ever since he was drafted #3 overall in 2014, Blake Bortles has been weighed down by expectations with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

At times it has not looked pretty. There were many games including this season where it looked like he might struggle tying his shoelaces, let alone complete a pass against an NFL defense. It looked like he was struggling within himself. Was he really that bad or just not being allowed to showcase what made him so attractive? As the weeks have gone by from December into January it’s becoming obvious that the latter might be the case.

One thing that always stood out with Bortles at UCF was his ability to play in high pressure situation. He seemed to covet big games. The tighter it was, the sharper he played. He was the MVP of both bowl games in played in at college. That clutch mentality was a big selling point for the Jaguars when he got drafted. At last this 2017 season he’s had a chance to show why and boy has he delivered. Bortles isn’t only a reason they aren’t losing, he’s suddenly become the reason they’re winning.

Bortles’ numbers don’t illustrate how timely he’s been

Stat gurus will pick this hill to die on, shouting that there’s no way Bortles deserves this much praise. In two playoff games he’s barely managed to throw for 300 yards and completed less than 55% of his passes. At the same time he has no interceptions with two touchdown, both of them proving critical to his teams’ playoff victories. His execution on third down in Pittsburgh will be remembered by football historians as a singular key to the Jaguars holding off the Steelers late.

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The bottom line is his offense put up 45 points on the Steelers in Pittsburgh. That doesn’t happen. Ever. It wasn’t the vaunted Jaguars defense that won the game. They gave up 42. It was on Bortles’ shoulders in cold, hostile conditions and he delivered. Longtime critics may not like that but it’s undeniable fact now. If they were proper sports about it they’d admit they may have been wrong. Not that he cares. He’s too busy preparing for the AFC championship game.