J.J. Watt likes what he’s seen from second-year quarterback Blake Bortles, who has had a couple of impressive games of late.
The Houston Texans are visiting this weekend, with AFC South rival Jacksonville Jaguars playing host. Both teams have struggled in the early goings this season, but Jacksonville appears to be trending up, while Houston is once again plummeting to the bottom of the NFL’s hierarchy.
Not surprisingly, the fate of these two franchises is tied to the whole “gotta have a quarterback” theory, which posits a team shall not find success without one.
Speaking about Bortles, who is coming on strong in his second year, Watt spoke about his improvement this year and said the young gun-slinger would continue to get better every year.
“I think he looks a little bit more comfortable this year,” Watt said, via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “I think he’s obviously had a year under his belt. He gets to know his teammates and things like that and gets used to the game. I think he’s going to continue to do that. As his career goes on, he’s going to get better and better.”
Bortles has passed for 1,299 yards with 10 touchdowns compared to just four interceptions this year through five games. His improved play can clearly be seen in his last two games, during which time he has thrown for 602 yards with five touchdowns and just one interception.
Granted, those two games were against Indianapolis and Tampa Bay. Neither of these two teams are much good on the defensive side, but Bortles has done what he should do against poor defensive teams — he has shined.
Watt’s Texans haven’t been much good on either side of the ball this year, so barring a signature performance by Watt, who is listed as “questionable” on the injury report with the flu (it’ll take more than the flu to keep him out), Bortles should have another big game for the home team on Sunday.
It certainly appears Jacksonville is in good hands with Bortles, who should continue developing into one of the league’s top quarterbacks if his course remains true.