blaine gabbert-jacksonville jaguars-arizona cardinals-blake bortles GLENDALE, AZ – NOVEMBER 26: Blaine Gabbert #7 of the Arizona Cardinals looks to make a pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first half at University of Phoenix Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

For parts of three seasons, Jacksonville Jaguars fans whined about Blaine Gabbert, questioned why he was on the field and begged for anyone else at quarterback. Finally, the team traded the struggling signal-caller to clear room for another first-round pick with a funny name, Blake Bortles. Running Gabbert out of town was hailed as a turning point for a moribund franchise.

So with all that in mind, it was pretty hilarious to watch Gabbert, starting only due to injuries to Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton, lead the Arizona Cardinals to a 27-24 victory over the surging Jaguars on Sunday.

OK, so Gabbert didn’t exactly look like Tom Brady out there. He completed only 22 of 38 passes for 241 yards and threw a costly fourth-quarter interception. But he also threw for two touchdowns and led a game-winning drive with less than a minute remaining, while outplaying Bortles. By Gabbert standards, that was a superstar-caliber outing.

It turns out the man who threw more interceptions (24) than touchdowns (22) while playing for the Jags is now capable of this.

Jaguars fans, naturally, greeted Gabbert’s surprising performance with measured and proportionate reaction.

For a moment there, it seemed the Jaguars might get the last laugh. With 3:46 to play in a tie game, Gabbert fired a pass into double coverage, where safety Barry Church picked it off. Gabbert had blown it, and all seemed right in the universe.

Unfortunately for the Jaguars, who entered the game 7-3 and in first place in the AFC South, Bortles is not exactly a precision passer, either. With 2:45 to play and Jacksonville in opposing territory, Bortles rolled right and fired a pass right into the arms of Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu.

That interception set up Gabbert’s… dare we say it… heroics. He completed two passes for 22 yards, then kicker Phil Dawson knocked home a 57-yard field goal for the win.

Even with the loss, the Jaguars are 7-4 and tied with the Titans for first place in their division. They have a real shot at making the playoffs for the first time since 2007. They also have a real shot at missing out by a game and having Blaine Gabbert to blame.

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.