Blake Bortles benched by Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars said Monday that they will bench quarterback Blake Bortles ahead of Sunday’s AFC South game vs. Indianapolis.

ON TV: Indianapolis at Jacksonville, 1 p.m. Sunday, CBS47 

Bortles had only 127 yards passing vs. Buffalo as the Jaguars lost their seventh game in a row.

Head Coach Doug Marrone said, "Regarding the quarterback position, we are going to start Cody Kessler this week against the Colts. I had a chance to talk with both Blake and Cody and I told both those guys the same thing. I am making this change to give us an opportunity to win a football game. Cody knows the offense. He has been in [a game] where he has not really prepared that week [with the other starters], so he will have a full week of preparation."

This will be the second time this year that Bortles had been benched. Bortles was pulled from center in Week 7 in a loss vs. the Texans. The Jaguars inserted backup Cody Kessler, who completed 21 of 30 passes, with one touchdown and one interception.

Kessler, in his fourth year, started eight games for Cleveland in 2016 and threw six touchdowns against only two interceptions.

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