Blake Bortles Feels Like a 'Scapegoat' for the Jaguars' Struggles

Bortles was benched in the second half of Jacksonville's 20-7 loss vs. Houston on Sunday.

Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles has thrown only one touchdown to go along with three turnovers in a pair of losses to drop Jacksonville's record to 3–4. The Central Florida product has drawn his fair share of criticism for the poor performances but Bortles is taking it in stride.

"I totally understand that I'm like the scapegoat for this team," Bortles told NFL.com's Michael Silver in a story released on Thursday morning. "When we play good, 'The defense played well, the running back did good, the receivers made great plays.' And when we play bad, 'Blake Bortles is the worst quarterback on the face of the planet.'"

The criticism of Bortles hasn't come from just fans or the media. Eagles cornerback Malcolm Jenkins – who will face the Jags in London on Sunday – took a jab at Bortles on Wednesday when he told reporters, "I can turn on the tape this week of our opponent and see that Colin Kaepernick deserves a job."

Bortles's struggles were magnified last week when he was benched in the third quarter against the Texans in favor of backup QB Cody Kessler. Bortles ended his day 6-12 for 61 yards, fumbling twice before heading to the sidelines in a 20-7 Houston victory. 

The five-year veteran is still getting the starting nod on Sunday despite his struggles. The Jaguars and Eagles will kickoff from Wembley Stadium in London at 9:30 a.m. ET.