Stefon Diggs appears to be J.C. Jackson’s kryptonite
J.C. Jackson has climbed up the New England Patriots depth chart after joining the team as an undrafted free agent. Whether he’s been the slot cornerback, the No. 2 cornerback or the No. 1 guy, Jackson has been consistently successful — with one or two exceptions.
He has shut down all sorts of receivers. But the Patriots’ 47-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Saturday showed that Jackson has a few weak points. Bills receiver Stefon Diggs seems to know how to work those weaknesses.
Jackson’s statistics against Diggs are substantially worse than the production from the rest of his career, according to Next Gen Stats.
J.C. Jackson aligned across from Stefon Diggs on 16 of his 20 routes (80% shadow rate), allowing 3 receptions on 4 targets for 60 yards.
Jackson has shadowed Diggs on at least 65% of his routes in all five matchups since 2020.#NEvsBUF | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/ydbPD9YVpP
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 16, 2022
Jackson allowed all three of Diggs’ receptions for 60 yards, including a 48-yarder down the sideline in the second half. And while that doesn’t seem like a rough outing for a cornerback, particularly in a game where Bills quarterback threw for over 300 yards, Jackson allowed a completion percentage of 75% against Diggs.
Absolutely LIGHTS OUT @JoshAllenQB pic.twitter.com/ovp36wGszi
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) January 16, 2022
Even worse, Jackson struggled in coverage of other Bills players, including tight end Dawson Knox, who hauled in a 38-yard catch with Jackson in coverage. Jackson finished the night allowing four catches on five targets for 89 yards with no touchdowns allowed, no interceptions and no pass breakups. If the Bills have suddenly turned into Bill Belichick’s kryptonite, then Diggs has turned into something similar for Jackson.
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