Jacksonville Jaguars: Blake Bortles a Darkhorse for Pro Bowl

Not many saw this coming. And who could after watching Blake Bortles and the Jacksonville Jaguars last season?

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In 2014, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles was expected to sit much of his rookie season after being drafted third overall in the draft out of Central Florida. However, Bortles was thrusted into the lineup in Week 3, and got his first start in Week 4. Bortles wound up throwing 11 touchdows to 17 interceptions and 2,900 yards for a quarterback rating of a dismal 69.5.

On Sunday, Bortles threw for another 250 yards, three touchdowns along with a rushing touchdown in the Jaguars 51-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Here was number 30 to tight end Julius Thomas.

The 51 points were the most in franchise history and mark the first time the Jaguars put a 50 burger on an opponent in the regular season. The win also broke the Colts streak of 16 straight wins against AFC South opponents. This performance followed a game against the Titans last week where Bortles threw for over 300 yards and five touchdowns. In his last two weeks Bortles has thrown for over 500 yards and 8 touchdowns with no interceptions.

Interceptions were a knock on Bortles coming into the season and even throughout the regular season. Bortles threw for 13 ints in the teams first 11 games, but has since cut down on his mistakes and made better decisions with the football. Bortles stats for the season now sit at 3,524 passing yards with 30 touchdowns to 13 interceptions for a quarterback rating of 88. 4. The 30 touchdown passes currently rank third in the NFL behind only Tom Brady and Carson Palmer. Those 30 touchdowns rank ahead of the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Andy Dalton, and MVP candidate Cam Newton. Bortles is also in elite company.

There’s also this.

If Bortles can throw between 35-40 touchdowns with over 4,000 yards, he could be on his way to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. Yes, the teams record is bad right now at 5-8, and it’s a joke that they are still in the running for a divisional championship. However, Bortles is only 23 and is surrounded by young talent at the receiver position. The Jaguars are a young team and still learning to win.

In addition, quarterbacks such as Tom Brady, Carson Palmer, Cam Newton, and Aaron Rodgers could be playing well into January and possibly the Super Bowl. As a result, two at least will not play. That’s where Bortles can sneak in.

A lot of people see Big Ben Roethlisberger in Blake Bortles. As they should. Both Bortles and Roethlisberger are big, tough, mobile quarterbacks. However, I see more Brett Favre in Blake Bortles. Former Jaguars and current Redskins cornerback Will Blackmon agrees with this comparison.

Blackmon says, (via Carlyon) “Blake was the first one there every day. If I came in early for treatment or came in early to do something extra, Blake was coming out of a meeting at 7am. Blake is unbelievable. He totally reminds me of Brett Favre from his skill set in terms of what he can do.”

“If things don’t go his way, he’ll improvise and make something happen. That’s such a rare quality, especially with the cards he was dealt last year. “He was put in some tough situations. He had a lot of interceptions, because he took chances. He gave his receivers a chance to make a play. He’s the future and very, very good.”

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The wins will come for the Jaguars and Blake Bortles. The arrow is pointing up Jacksonville. If Dave Caldwell and Gus Bradley can fix the defense this offseason, the team can easily be the AFC South Champions and serious contenders in the AFC in 2016.