Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Marrone announced in a news conference Monday that QB Blake Bortles has been benched, and backup quarterback Cody Kessler will start against the Indianapolis Colts this week. Marrone told reporters; "I had a chance to talk to both Blake and Cody earlier today and I told both those guys the same thing: I'm making this change to give us an opportunity to win a football game."
Bortles is coming off one of his worst performances of the season, having completed only 12 of 23 passes for 127 yards in a 24-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, with one touchdown and two interceptions. The Jaguars have lost seven in a row and eight of their past nine games.
Jacksonville signed Bortles to a three-year, $54 million contract extension in the offseason. Kessler has not started an NFL game since 2016, when he started eight times with the Cleveland Browns.
Editorial credit: Mitch Gunn / Shutterstock.com