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.
The Around The League Podcast is now available on iTunes! Click here to listen and subscribe.
