NFL

Everybody still hates ‘trash’ Blake Bortles

Blake Bortles is coming off two of his finest performances as an NFL quarterback, and the insults keep pouring in.

In back-to-back Jaguars wins over the Seahawks and Texans, Bortles has completed 39-of-56 passes for 594 yards, five touchdowns and — perhaps most shockingly — zero interceptions.

“He’s trash,” Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney said after his team was dismantled 45-7.

We lost to “a subpar quarterback,” Seahawks safety Earl Thomas said after Jacksonville beat them 30-24 last Sunday.

For his first three seasons in the league, these words needed not be spoken because Bortles’ mediocrity was clear to see. It seemed that he may be out of opportunities this preseason when the new regime — team president Tom Coughlin and coach Doug Marrone — benched Bortles for Chad Henne. That was just a brief experiment, though, and Bortles has rewarded their faith, or lack of options, by leading the Jaguars to a 10-4 start.

“Honestly, I just kind of feel like I have been playing the same the whole time,” Bortles said Sunday. “Obviously, the results and numbers are a bit better, but I feel just as comfortable and as confident as I did six or seven weeks ago. I think guys are starting to make unbelievable plays.”

A lot of the credit for the Jaguars’ turnaround belongs to a defense that leads the league, giving up 14.9 points per game. But Bortles is no longer putting the team in detrimental positions, only throwing eight interceptions this season after averaging 17 in his first three seasons.

With much of the attention focused on a likely Steelers-Patriots AFC Championship following Sunday’s classic 27-24 New England win, the Jaguars, who clinched a playoff spot on Sunday, are lurking as the only legitimate spoilers as long as Bortles keeps playing like “trash.”