Jaguars bench Blake Bortles, replace with Cody Kessler

Have the Jacksonville Jaguars finally reached their breaking point with Blake Bortles? 

Bortles was benched Sunday in the third quarter against the Houston Texans, with backup Cody Kessler replacing him. At the time of the switch, the Jaguars trailed 20-0.

The decision was somewhat surprising, given ESPN reported earlier Sunday that Jacksonville was not in the market for a quarterback ahead of the league’s trade deadline on Oct. 30. 

But Bortles has played poorly this season. On Sunday, he completed just 50 percent of his passes (6-of-12) for 61 yards. He also fumbled twice — losing both.

Before the Texans’ game, Bortles had thrown for 1,674 yards for nine touchdowns to eight interceptions in six games. The Jaguars, too, were off to a 3-3 start with all three losses coming in the last four outings. 

The Jaguars have been firmly behind Bortles since drafting him with the third overall pick in 2014. But the 26-year-old has struggled, at times, and is seen as the weak link for a team with an elite defense. 

In February, the Jaguars gave Bortles a three-year, $54 million extension, a month after the team made the AFC Championship game. 

We’ll see what happens in the weeks moving forward. But as of now, the Jaguars look like they’re on their way to losing a third straight game.