Blake Bortles Handcuffed by Offensive Line, Pass Blocking

The Jacksonville Jaguars secured a much needed 25-24 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday, and they did so despite very questionable play from some members of the offensive line.

While the Jaguars’ defensive line made life tough for Eli Manning, Jason Pierre Paul and company were almost as effective for the Giants on the other side of the ball. Blake Bortles was sacked 7 times on the day, and the Jaguars were forced to be a little creative on offense to give Bortles the time needed to make throws.

As Luke Sims pointed out, one of the biggest culprits on Sunday was Luke Joeckel, who was thoroughly abused by Pierre Paul.

"The Jaguars offensive line continues to underperform – especially 2013 first round pick Luke Joeckel – and that needs to be addressed in the offseason."

Conor Orr from NFL.com discussed this in his recap, noting how Blake Bortles should be a very good player once he gets some help from the offensive line.

"Blake Bortles is a bit enigmatic, but as soon as Jacksonville gets its offensive line sorted out, we think he’ll be a fantastic player. His decision-making down the stretch, especially on a read-option keep that set the Jaguars up for the game-winning field goal, was impressive. He also placed a ball perfectly to Marqise Lee earlier in the drive. He and Lee hooked up for a beautiful 30-yard touchdown earlier in the game."

Unsurprisingly, Bortles’ best throw of the day came when he had a clean pocket. Look at how much time and room Bortles has on his 30 yard touchdown pass to Marqise Lee.

It’s a lot easier said than done, but the Jaguars can be an explosive offense if they give their young quarterback time to stand in the pocket and make throws. The Jaguars appear to have some potential starters moving forward on the offensive line (Luke Bowanko and Brandon Linder come to mind), but it’ll be interesting to see how the position group shakes out as the Jaguars head into the offseason and prioritize free agent signings and draft picks.