Blake Bortles Responds to Jadeveon Clowney Calling Him 'Trash'

Blake Bortles' late-season rise is giving the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback an opportunity to respond to the criticism he's received throughout his four-year NFL career.

Asked about some of the harsh judgment directed toward him in the past, Bortles had a very diplomatic response Wednesday. 

"If how we're playing and how I'm playing is trash, then I'm fine being trash," he said, via ESPN's Michael DiRocco. 

This response is likely directed toward Houston Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who didn't give Bortles any credit following Jacksonville's 45-7 win over its AFC South rival in Week 15. 

"He's trash," Clowney told reporters. 

Bortles is on the best run of his career with 903 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions during the Jaguars' current three-game winning streak.

The team has already clinched a playoff berth, its first since 2007, and is one win or a Tennessee Titans loss away from winning a division title for the third time in franchise history. 

Jacksonville's defense has garnered a lot of acclaim for leading the NFL with 14.9 points allowed per game, but Bortles has the offense rolling. The Jaguars rank fifth in the league with 26.7 points, and he's completing a career-high 61 percent of his passes.