Jags lose first preseason game

Bortles looks sharp in Opener

Blake Bortles took what he was given and didn’t force anything.  He finished 6/7 for 105 yards in a 13-17 loss to the New York Jets. Receiver Allen Robinson caught three passes for 80 yards and Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon combined to rush for 52 rushing yards and one touchdown on 10 carries.

“We want to come out and be sharp with our operation in and out of the huddle, no mental errors, lining up correctly, shifts and motions, and all that,” quarterback Blake Bortles said. “And obviously take care of the ball. I thought for the most part it was good.”

The Jaguars will look to collect their first win next week when they face Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home next weekend.  Plenty of great seats and affordable tickets are available so be sure to grab yours today and help cheer on your Jaguars!

Fans and Pundits debate Bortles, Henne

Even though he was the 3rd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Chad Henne is still slotted as the starter for the 2014 Jaguars, not Blake Bortles.  Henne was picked up in the middle of the season when Blane Gibbert went down. Gibbert has since been traded to the San Francisco 49er’s and the coaching staff want to give Henne the opportunity to play a full season.  GM Dave Caldwell told ESPN’s Britt McHenry the same on his talk show.

“To be honest with you, probably 2015.  We’d like to give Chad this whole year and go with Chad this year.”

The Jaguars open the preseason against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on August 7th.  Plenty of great seats and cheap tickets remain!

THE FIFTH DOWN; Jaguars (4-9) at Falcons (8-5)

Jaguars (4-9) at Falcons (8-5)

8:30 p.m. Eastern, NFL Network

Line: Falcons by 11

Great news, NFL Network: the Jaguars may no longer be television ratings poison. The Jaguars were responsible for the two lowest ”Monday Night Football” ratings of the season, but the Seahawks and the Rams managed to tunnel beneath them with this week’s cavalcade of blocked punts, hacky-sacked snaps and screen passes that hit the receiver’s knee on one bounce. The Jaguars also scored 41 points in their win over the Buccaneers, more than in their previous three games combined and more than twice their previous season high.

The Jaguars now have the potential to hold your attention. All it took was a change in coaching and ownership, a series of fumbled punts by the opponent and the kind of general lassitude that came when two teams (Seattle and St. Louis) with seven total wins faced off in mid-December.

Falcons Coach Mike Smith, a former Jaguars coordinator, was briefly hospitalized after Sunday’s victory over the Panthers with an undisclosed illness. Smith was back in Atlanta on Monday and will be on the sideline Thursday. Smith is from Daytona, Fla., and while he enjoys trips back to Jacksonville, playing at home cuts down on his ticket costs. ”It’s a little cheaper up here since I don’t have as many friends as I did in Jacksonville,” he said.

Smith’s Florida supporters can watch the game on television. The network needs the ratings.

Pick: Falcons

(Pick does not reflect the betting line)

This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared in print.

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