Skip to content

Jags' Marrone: QB change was made to spark team

Scott Halleran / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone made a change at quarterback Sunday in hopes of changing his team's fortunes.

Halfway through the Jags' 20-7 loss to the Houston Texans, Marrone benched starter Blake Bortles in favor of backup Cody Kessler.

"Thought process was you (can't) take all 11 out -- you don't have enough people to put in," Marrone said, according to ESPN's Michael DiRocco. "Thought process: 'Hey listen. I'm going to take the quarterback out.' Not like he had played worse than anyone out there. He had two fumbles.

"I just literally did it to try to get a damn spark from this football team to put everyone on notice. They have to focus and go out there and play better. At points in the second half, they did it. That's not fair to the quarterback, but that's how the business is."

The Jaguars have slumped to 3-4 following three consecutive losses to the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, and Houston. Jacksonville has managed to score just 28 points over that span.

Bortles completed 6 of 12 for 61 yards and lost two fumbles in his two-plus quarters of work Sunday. Kessler went 21-for-30 for 156 yards and an interception. He found T.J. Yeldon for a six-yard score to post the Jags' only points on the afternoon.

After the game, Bortles said he had "no idea" whether he would start next week's game against the Philadelphia Eagles, according to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk.

"I'll do the same thing I've always done - show up, work, prepare and get ready to go and work as hard as I can. If I play, I play. If not, then I'll do whatever I can to help this team."

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox