The 2023 NFL schedule recently released, and former Pro Bowl cornerback J.C. Jackson is anxiously awaiting his showdown against the New England Patriots. Jackson, currently a member of the Los Angeles Chargers, entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Patriots before signing a massive deal prior to the start of the 2023 season.
J.C. Jackson Looking Forward to “Revenge Game” Against New England Patriots
Appearing on NFL Total Access, Jackson spoke about how much he’s looking forward to playing his former team.
“It’s a revenge game for me,” Jackson said. “I’m excited to go back and pick Mac Jones off and show them why they should’ve never let me go.”
"It's a revenge game for me, I'm excited to go back and pick Mac Jones off"
– @MR_INT 👀 pic.twitter.com/cN6bo77h3N
— NFL Total Access (@NFLTotalAccess) May 11, 2023
It’s particularly ironic to hear J.C. Jackson of all people talking about revenge games and the need to make the Patriots regret their decision to let him sign elsewhere. After four strong seasons in New England, Jackson was an unmitigated disaster during his first season with the Chargers. The cornerback ranks at or near the bottom of just about every coverage statistic before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 5. On top of that, there was even talk about the Chargers parting ways with their big-money addition after just one year.
For what it’s worth, Jackson admits that he needs to be better. In that very same clip, the cornerback said that he “just wants to get back into being myself, be healthy, be 100% J.C. Jackson before the season.”
Patriots vs Chargers Prediction
Obviously, a lot can happen between now and the Week 13 clash between the Chargers and Patriots. However, it’s hard to imagine a world where Jackson makes the Patriots regret not handing out that massive contract.
While he did play well during his time in New England, Bill Belichick has an innate ability to get high-level cornerback play from just about anyone. Last year, New England had one of the better defenses in football despite relying on two rookies in Marcus Jones and Jack Jones. The secondary should be even better in 2023, as both players will return along with first-round pick Christian Gonzalez.
Jackson, meanwhile, will need to do a complete 180 from last year if he’s ever going to come close to justifying that massive contract. This isn’t to say it can’t be done, but it’s rare to find a player that starts off this bad and then suddenly puts it all together.
However, even though the Patriots have the better secondary, they’ll still have a hard time pulling out a win here. The talent disparity between Justin Herbert and Mac Jones is astronomical and easily offsets the difference in cornerback talent. Additionally, while New England’s interior offensive line is pretty solid, the tackle situation is a disaster. Trent Brown and a series of washed-up veterans won’t be able to slow down Joey Bosa, and Mac Jones is one of the worst in the league against pressure.
Ultimately, this might not be a high-scoring affair, but it’s a contest the Chargers should win. J.C. Jackson probably will get his revenge, even if the Patriots were right to let him go.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
