The comparison for Jacksonville rookie quarterback Blake Bortles has often been Ben Roethlisberger. On Sunday, Bortles made his official NFL debut in the second half of a blowout loss against Indianapolis. The numbers just happened to catch my eye and made me realize this was as close as a start as Bortles can have to Roethlisberger, almost 10 years to the date of his debut.
Same TD:INT ratio and passer rating? Really? About the only major difference was Indy’s lazy defense didn’t feel like tackling Hurns on a 63-yard touchdown.
I don’t expect Bortles to go undefeated as a starter with the league’s worst defense, but for one half, he has lived up to the Roethlisberger comparison.
Captain Comeback: NFL Analysis by Scott Kacsmar 