Jacksonville Jaguars want Blake Bortles to limit interceptions
The Jacksonville Jaguars want rookie quarterback Blake Bortles to limit his interceptions in the second half of the season.
After Sunday’s 27-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins at home, where Bortles threw two picks returned for touchdowns, offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch discussed the rookie’s mistakes:
"As a quarterback and as a rookie quarterback you’ve got to help them come along and grow and understand that he’s going to throw [interceptions]," Fisch told reporters. “I think if we’re at 12 right now and we can have this second [part of the] year at six, I think we can consider it a win."
Bortles leads the league in interceptions with 12. Peyton Manning holds the record for interceptions in a season with 28. However, Fisch says he tries to avoid the comparison, not wanting to use it as a “crutch.”
After the game, Bortles took blame for the team’s loss, saying, “I’m killing us.”
"What's the deciding factor? It's been the turnovers,” Bortles said Wednesday. “I think anybody can see that and they've all come from me so something's got to change in order for that to be successful."
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The third overall draft pick debuted for the Jaguars in Week 3, replacing Chad Henne after halftime. In his first career start a week later, Bortles had 253 yards for one touchdown and two interceptions in a 33-14 loss to the San Diego Chargers. His 78.4 percent pass completion set a record for the most accurate quarterback debut.
The Jaguars are 1-7 and last in the AFC South. They play the Cincinnati Bengals (4-2-1) on Sunday.
- Danielle Zhu
