Jaguars Sort Through Loss to Miami Dolphins

After Sunday’s loss to the Miami Dolphins, rookie quarterback Blake Bortles took to the podium and did the right thing – he put the Jaguars 27-13 loss on his play behind center. The UCF product said he has to get better if this team is going to make progress.

The problem with accepting the team’s loss on his back is that these are the same issues he has faced week after week, especially when it comes to throwing interceptions at the most inopportune time.

According to Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com, the Jaguars hadn't been losing games because of Bortles' mistakes -- there were far too many other reasons -- but that changed against the Miami Dolphins. Bortles committed three turnovers, including two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns, and finally did keep the Jaguars from winning.

"I'm killing us," Bortles said after the Dolphins' 27-13 victory at EverBank Field. "I've got to try to eliminate different things and get better."

For the first time since he took the field for the second half of the team's loss against Indianapolis in Week 3, Bortles looked a bit rattled. Until he went 5-for-6 in a meaningless fourth quarter, Bortles had completed only 13 of 28 passes for 140 yards. He had air-mailed a pass over a wide-open Denard Robinson, threw a couple passes behind Allen Robinson, and short-armed another on what would have led to a first down.

While the Dolphins defense is nothing to sneeze at, the team will be on the road, facing Cincinnati this coming week with Dallas in two weeks at Wembley Stadium in London.

"It's going to happen. I think it's part of it [learning to be an NFL quarterback]," Bortles said. "Obviously you don't want to do it but it's going to happen and there's no reason to think about it or dwell on it or do anything. You can't do anything. It's over with. It's done. So try to move on and not let it happen again."

The problem is those are mistakes he has made before. Repeatedly, and as recently as last week against Cleveland. That's the most disturbing part of what happened Sunday. Bortles, who has thrown 12 interceptions in six games (five in the last two) and is on pace to tie Peyton Manning's rookie record of 28, doesn't seem to be learning from his mistakes.

GAME NOTES:

Jaguars running back Denard Robinson finished with 108 yards on the ground, the first Jacksonville player to top the century mark in consecutive games since Maurice Jones-Drew in 2011. ... Dolphins left guard Daryn Colledge left the game with migraines. His replacement, Nate Garner, came in for one play before leaving with an ankle injury. ... Jaguars recorded three sacks and allowed four.