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Blaine Gabbert impresses for Jaguars but hurts thumb

Blaine Gabbert put together the kind of performance that the Jacksonville Jaguars were waiting to see. It was the type of game that sews up a starting job. Then he got hurt.

Gabbert left Saturday night's 37-13 preseason loss to the New York Jets with a sprained right thumb after playing for a quarter and a half. The Jaguars announced that the quarterback was scheduled to come out of the game at that point anyhow, and coach Gus Bradley said afterward that X-rays were negative.

"It doesn't feel too well, but at the same time, we're going to see what the deal is and just move on," Gabbert, who wore a brace on the thumb, told NFL.com's Kimberly Jones.

Gabbert was seen shaking his right hand after hitting one of the Jets' helmets on a follow-through. That came after one of his few poor passes of the night. Gabbert completed 13 of 16 passes for 165 yards and one touchdown in a hurry-up offense that played well to the third-year pro's strengths.

Jaguars offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch called plays that got the ball out of Gabbert's hands quickly. Gabbert was on target with a number of short passes and completed a nice 35-yard toss up the seam to camp standout Ace Sanders. The offense looked a little like what Gabbert ran at Missouri.

Chad Henne, who replaced Gabbert in the second quarter, also has been competing for the starting job, but he completed just 4 of 10 passes for 30 yards with an interception Saturday. This competition might be over now.

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