JACKSONVILLE — Composure. Efficiency. And producing big-time plays when his team sorely needed them.
There is no extensive track record that proves Blake Bortles can be expected to showcase these same qualities in the playoffs should Jacksonville continue its march into the postseason. But as evidenced by Sunday’s 30-24 win over the Seahawks, the Jaguars can feel better about their starting quarterback after Bortles once again excelled in the same stadium where, four months ago, he temporarily played himself out of a starting job. A whole lot better.
In fact, maybe better than ever before than at any point during Bortles' uneven four-year NFL career.
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Don't just take my word for it.
"As far as an all-around game, the way he's playing today takes the cake for me," Jaguars radio analyst (and ex-defensive end) Jeff Lageman said during Sunday's broadcast. And this is coming from someone who has watched all of Bortles' NFL games and admitted to CBS Radio in August that he thought Bortles should have gotten benched during the 2016 season.
Sunday's victory showed why Bortles is starting to change minds following a disastrous preseason in which he was benched for one game in favor of Chad Henne. Bortles didn't so much as win the job back as Henne didn't show enough to secure it.
Fast-forward to Week 14. For the most part, Bortles outplayed his Seahawks counterpart Russell Wilson.
Yes, the same Super Bowl-winning Russell Wilson who entered as a strong contender for the NFL's Most Valuable Player honor.
Bortles completed 18 of 27 passes for 268 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. His second scoring throw came at a critical time in the game, when Seattle had rallied from a 10-0 deficit to tie the score midway through the third quarter.
On his first snap after a Seahawks touchdown, Bortles matched those points by uncorking a beautiful deep pass to rookie wide receiver Keelan Cole. The Jaguars never trailed again after that 75-yard scoring strike.
Arm strength, though, was never a problem with Bortles. Making mistakes during crunch-time was one of several that raised questions about his viability as a credible NFL starter.
A less-dynamic play later in the game reflected Jacksonville’s confidence that those issues are becoming a thing of the past.
Holding onto a 27-17 lead with 9:48 remaining, Jacksonville could have opted for a conservative approach by feeding running back Leonard Fournette (24 carries for 101 yards) and trying to run clock. Instead, the Jaguars began their drive in an empty-backfield, five-wide set.
The result of the play — a five-yard completion to wide receiver DeDe Westbrook — wasn't as significant as the proof Jacksonville's new coaching staff trusts that Bortles wouldn't commit a turnover like he had far too frequently during his first three NFL seasons. Bortles proceeded to lead a drive that ended with a 32-yard Josh Lambo field goal and took 5:43 off the clock.
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"We've said it all year long — there's going to come a time when we're going to have to find a way to win offensively," Bortles said in his postgame news conference.
Such support from Bortles and Co. was greatly appreciated by members of a staunch defense that experienced its own hiccups Sunday. The unit allowed two long Wilson touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to derail what was becoming a Jaguars blowout.
"Throughout the year he’s made some throws in some big-time moments for us where he looks really, really good," Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny told Sporting News. "He’s done that consistently.
"There wasn't a specific time where we’ve said, 'Ok, things have changed.’ You've seen him get better and better and work at it and work at it and you see the results now."
Especially impressive about such improvement is how Bortles has not let mounds of outside criticism for his previous failings — most notably 63 turnovers and an 11-35 starting record between 2014 and 2016 — derail his progress.
"He has taken a lot over the years and never complained," Posluszny said. "He's never blamed anybody. He's always said the right things and put the organization first. It’s great to see him finally have the success that he deserves. To get to nine wins and play at a high level, it’s awesome because he deserves it."
Added center Brandon Linder: “He doesn't listen to any of that outside bulls—. He just comes to work every day to get better."
The key now is consistency.
Earlier this season, Bortles would enjoy a stellar performance and regress. He followed a four touchdown, zero interception effort during a 44-7 rout of Baltimore in Week 3 with a horrific outing the next game against the New York Jets. A shaky fourth-quarter performance in a 20-17 overtime win over the Chargers five weeks ago exacerbated fears about his reliability in critical situations.
Bortles has now posted back-to-back passer ratings of 100-plus for only the second time in his NFL career. But even as he trends upward and the Jaguars prepare to end a decade-long drought without a playoff appearance, the pressure isn't off yet.
Bortles must continue to show his rise is for real against better defenses than those fielded the past two weeks by the Colts (3-10) and the injury-plagued Seahawks (8-5). If he doesn't, Jacksonville's football czar Tom Coughlin has a tough decision to make.
Should the Jags pick up the fifth year on Bortles' rookie contract at a cost of $19.1 million for the 2018 season, or should they talk contract extension to alleviate the salary-cap hit? Or should the franchise seek a veteran replacement with options that could include Eli Manning, who won two Super Bowl titles and forged what should prove a Pro Football Hall of Fame career when playing under Coughlin for the Giants?
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For now, Bortles isn't sweating it.
"Obviously, you start playing meaningful December football, then the stakes are raised," he said. "But I don’t think you can look at it any differently. You start to do that and you start to press and do things that you haven't done before.
"Everything that we have done offensively has been good enough. We have to continue to do that."
If Bortles keeps doing what he did Sunday, he’ll be more than good enough for both the short and long haul on Florida's First Coast.
Alex Marvez can be heard from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
