Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles came into Sunday’s game against the 49ers on a hot streak that somehow coincided with defensive players from teams he’d beaten saying negative things about his play.
Bortles didn’t play nearly as well against the 49ers. He threw his first three interceptions since Week 12 in a 44-33 loss that came after the Jaguars clinched the AFC South by virtue of Tennesse’s loss to the Rams. Just as Bortles’ good play led to an opposite response from opponents, his rocky afternoon led to a positive response from his teammates.
“Personally, I’m still riding with 5,” cornerback Aaron Colvin said, via ESPN.com. “I have all the confidence in the world. I know he’s going to play perfect when we need him to play perfect. Everybody has a bad game. I know him. I know his competitive drive, and I know he’ll come back next week and dominate.”
The Jaguars had issues all over the place on Sunday as penalties, a sluggish run game and some defensive breakdowns joined Bortles’ turnovers as reasons why they left Santa Clara with a loss. That’s an uncharacteristic combination for this year’s Jaguars and they’ll have a couple of weeks to make sure the issues are dealt with before their playoff debut.