Blake Bortles vows to let bygones be bygones and continue to roll. The Jacksonville Jaguars have run into trouble this season, after coming ridiculously close to clinching a berth in the Super Bowl in 2017. Bortles was benched for the second half of the team's 20-7 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 7. Coach Doug Marrone will revert back to Bortles for their matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday, after giving backup Cody Kessler a chance to show himself.
Bortles knows the leash is shorter than usual given the uphill battle the team faces to overturn their losing record. "You've just got to go play. I don't think you can worry about it," Bortles said after Friday's practice, his first speaking engagement since being reinstated as the starter. "You can't play the position and play the game constantly worrying about, 'What happens if I make a mistake?'"
As previously reported, the Jaguars face the Philadelphia Eagles at Allianz Park in London, as the NFL tries to broaden their appeal in other markets. If you recall, the NFL ran a developmental league in Europe between 1998 and 2007. The Eagles and Jaguars have identical 3-4 records going into the matchup, with equally high levels of pressure on both their "shoulders."
Stephen A. Smith isn't a big fan of the coach's decision to revert back to Blake Bortles as the starting QB.
Hear him out:
