Blake Bortles outplays Tom Brady and Jaguars get convincing win over Patriots

In last season’s AFC championship game, the Jacksonville Jaguars were the better team most of the game. The New England Patriots were just better when it counted, and won late.

It was just a regular-season game on Sunday, but the Jaguars made quite a statement. They look like they want to close the deal this season. The Jaguars again looked like the better team for most of Sunday’s game against the Patriots, and this time they finished, winning 31-20.

The Jaguars are 2-0 and look every bit as good as last season, and probably even better. A lot of that is due to quarterback Blake Bortles playing pretty well.

Blake Bortles has a very good day in win

The most surprising development Sunday was that Bortles outplayed Tom Brady. Of course, Brady had to play the Jaguars’ all-world defense. But give Bortles credit for having a fantastic day.

Without running back Leonard Fournette, who was out with a hamstring injury, Bortles had to be the focal point of the offense. That wasn’t a problem. Bortles made nice touchdown passes to Donte Moncrief, Keelan Cole and Austin Seferian-Jenkins to give the Jaguars a 24-3 lead. Bortles’ receivers made nice plays for him all day, but Bortles played well. He completed 29-of-45 passes for 377 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Given the opponent, it might have been the best game of Bortles’ career.

Brady wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t his usual great self. He had 234 yards and two touchdowns. The Jaguars defense is incredible and the Patriots are shorthanded on offense. The frustration boiled over as the Patriots did a lot of yelling on the sideline. They’re used to moving the ball at will. But it’s a challenge against the Jaguars.

Jaguars defense comes up big

There had to be some deja vu in the second half. Brady started to warm up, and a touchdown pass to Chris Hogan and a field goal cut Jacksonville’s lead to 24-13. Then a pass went through Seferian-Jenkins’ hands and was picked off by Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy. It felt very much like the rally that led to the Patriots’ AFC title comeback win.

But the Jaguars defense made the play that turned the game back around. Dante Fowler came around right tackle and strip-sacked Brady, and the Jaguars recovered. That was the kind of play the Jaguars couldn’t make as the Patriots rallied back in last season’s AFC championship game. Jacksonville made the play it needed to make on Sunday, however.

And with 7:35 left, Dede Westbrook’s catch and long run for a touchown effectively sealed the win.

What does Sunday’s result mean for the Patriots and Jaguars?

It’s not like it’s a big deal for the Patriots to drop an early-season game against a tough team on the road. They have lost early-season games before and been just fine. Besides, they still play in the AFC East. They’ll be fine.

It does say something about the Jaguars, however. There was skepticism over the Jaguars being able to repeat their surprising 2017 season. A lot of that was because Bortles is a regular punching bag for practically everyone who watches the NFL.

There’s little reason to not believe in the Jaguars anymore. Bortles passed a huge test on Sunday. The Jaguars defense is clearly just as good as it was last season. The Jaguars got a convincing win against a team that has owned the AFC for years. If you weren’t taking the Jaguars seriously before, it’s time to change that.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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