FOXBOROUGH — Spend five minutes in the Patriots’ locker room, and you’ll see for yourself just how much the veterans seem to look out for rookie cornerback J.C. Jackson.
It’s clear that several of them have a soft spot for the youngster, who has distinguished himself as one of the best first-year players on the roster, a fearless defensive back who has battled his way into the starting lineup for New England.
“That kid is a baller,” linebacker Kyle Van Noy told BostonSportsJournal.com of Jackson, who came up big again on Sunday in the division-clincher against the Bills.
With Buffalo sitting on a first-and-10 with just under 10 minutes to go in the second quarter, Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen dropped back and looked for receiver Deonte Thompson deep left. But as Allen was looking for Thompson, Jackson was eyeballing Allen.
“I was really in man (coverage). The tight end ran to the flat, so I had my eyes on the tight end and the quarterback,” Jackson said. “I saw it develop and I was like, ‘He’s (not) going to throw to the flat.’ So I read him, he threw the seven route, and I jumped on it. And it was a pick.”
INTERCEPTION! JC Jackson with the pick! Let’s go! #BUFvsNE #Patriots pic.twitter.com/eXF2b65wrw
— Casey Baker (@CaseyBake16) December 23, 2018
J MAC! Jason McCourty with the interception! #BUFvsNE #Patriots pic.twitter.com/brvCXuhd67
— Casey Baker (@CaseyBake16) December 23, 2018