JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It'll be hard for anyone around the NFL to have anything derogatory to say about Blake Bortles after Sunday night.
He's not trash, a sub-par quarterback, and he certainly didn't choke. In fact, he was pretty darn good -- maybe the best he's ever been.
Bortles played the best game of his career -- and out-performed the greatest quarterback in NFL history in the process -- and led the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 31-20 victory over the New England Patriots at TIAA Bank Field. It wasn't a perfect day but, as he did in the postseason against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bortles made some clutch plays late in the game to keep the Jaguars unbeaten (2-0).