In the last few months, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles has heard it all from opposing players bashing his play under center.
However, this isn't the train of thought that New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty voiced about his opponent in Sunday's AFC Championship Game. Rather than trashing him, McCourty tossed a few compliments toward the Jaguars quarterback praising him for his ability to help lead his team to this late stage in the playoffs, according to Nora Princiotti of The Boston Globe.
McCourty on all things Blake Bortles has been called (“choker,” “trash,” etc): “All those guys that said that, I’m sure they would want to be in his spot right now playing in the Championship game.”
— Nora Princiotti (@NoraPrinciotti) January 17, 2018
For as much slack that Bortles gets thrown his way, he has helped lead his team this season to the AFC Championship Game with a chance to play in the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. It is quite a difficult task for any team to reach this point in the postseason in any season.
Bortles may have shown regression in his overall game over the last couple of years, but he has certainly helped put his team in the position to succeed at the highest level. It hasn't quite been by way of his arm, but he has been able to make the plays when needed through the first two playoff games. Bortles threw for a meager 87 yards against the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round, but he was able to gain 88 rushing yards that proved to be just enough in the 10-3 win.
He followed that this past week in the divisional round in the shootout against the Pittsburgh Steelers by making timely plays with his arm and feet when needed most to either move the chains or put his team in scoring position. Most importantly, he has done it all without making a single costly turnover in the process.
However, Bortles will need more of that same level confidence in his play while avoiding any crucial turnovers on the road against the Patriots. The Jaguars do boost arguably the league's best defense, but there will be a significant weight on his shoulder to lead the offense on several scoring drives if his team hopes to have a chance to pull off the upset.
The table is set to once again prove his doubters wrong by leading his team another step closer to earning their first Super Bowl win in franchise history.
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