Terps in the NFL: J.C. Jackson is an interception machine

Former Maryland cornerback J.C. Jackson continued his utter dominance in the interception department, as a member of the New England Patriots, in Week Two of the 2021 NFL season.

Jackson, who was second in the NFL in interceptions last year with nine, picked off New York Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson twice in Sunday’s 25-6 win. He finished the game with three total tackles, two interceptions and two pass deflections and did all of that while playing just 67% of the defensive snaps for New England.

Jackson’s first interception of the season came about seven minutes into the contest against New York. He deflected a pass from Wilson that was thrown into triple coverage, which allowed fellow defensive back Devin McCourty to play a tip-drill and bat the football back into the hands of Jackson.

His second interception of the game required much less effort as Wilson threw a pass right at him late in the first half. Jackson recorded two of the four interceptions that the Patriots had against the Jets.

The former undrafted defensive back entered the league in 2018 and since then, no one in the National Football League has more interceptions than Jackson’s 19 picks. Additionally, he leads the NFL with 19 total takeaways since his second season in 2019.

Jackson is currently tied with four players – Tyrann Mathieu (Kansas City Chiefs), Mike Edwards (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Justin Reid (Houston Texans) and Trevon Diggs (Dallas Cowboys) – for the league lead in interceptions with two.

Jackson and New England will host the New Orleans Saints next week.

Other Performers

• Buffalo Bills All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs found the end zone for the first time this season on Sunday. Quarterback Josh Allen was under pressure and found a wide-open Diggs in the end zone for a short touchdown hookup.

Diggs recorded four catches for 60 yards and the lone score on eight targets, en route to a 35-0 win over Miami.

Last year, Diggs caught eight touchdowns, which was one shy of his career-high of nine from 2018 when he was on the Minnesota Vikings. Buffalo will take on Washington next week.

• Carolina Panthers star wide receiver D.J. Moore had a phenomenal week, as he looks to continue to mold his relationship with new quarterback Sam Darnold. Moore caught eight passes for 79 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets. Moore ran a slant route in the red zone, which led him to his first touchdown catch of the season. He tied his career-high in touchdown catches last season with four.

• New York Jets running back Ty Johnson had 12 carries for 50 yards this week against New England. His 50 rushing yards became the third-most that he’s ever recorded in an NFL game. Johnson was on the field for 45% of the offensive snaps for the Jets and he led his squad in carries in the game.
• Los Angeles Rams rookie running back Jake Funk had a really strong impact on special teams on Sunday. Funk returned all three kicks and combined to return the trio of kicks for 70 yards, averaging 23.3 yards per return. He accounted for 58% of the special teams' snaps and also took three snaps on offense, but did not have a touch offensively. Funk’s longest kick return was 28 yards and the Rams escaped Indianapolis with a 27-24 win.
• Raiders defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson, who was a major part of the defense in last week’s win, started on Sunday against Pittsburgh. He only recorded one total tackle, but he added two quarterback hits on Ben Roethlisberger. He played over 60% of the Raiders’ defensive snaps for the second straight week.
• Green Bay Packers safety Darnell Savage Jr. recorded two tackles against Detroit on Monday Night Football. The Packers' defense, along with the offense, bounced back from Week One in a massive way and defeated the Lions 35-17.
• Carolina Panthers linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr. started on Sunday against New Orleans. He only recorded one tackle, but the Panthers’ defense was superb, holding the Saints to just seven points.
• The Cincinnati Bengals took Sean Davis from the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad and elevated him to their active roster ahead of Sunday’s game against Cleveland. Davis played seven defensive snaps but did not record a stat in his 2021 debut.
• Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Michael Dunn made his 2021 season debut by playing five snaps on special teams, but he did not record a stat.
• Seattle Seahawks tight end Tyler Mabry did not have a role offensively on Sunday, but he played 42% of the team’s snaps on special teams.
• Las Vegas Raiders defensive weapon Yannick Ngakoue started on Sunday, but he failed to record a stat.
• Linebacker Josh Woods was on the practice squad again for the Chicago Bears.
• Defensive back Antoine Brooks Jr. was on the practice squad again for the Los Angeles Rams.
• Linebacker Keandre Jones spent time on the practice squad for the Cincinnati Bengals again this week.
• Running back Anthony McFarland Jr. remained on the injured reserve this week for the Pittsburgh Steelers for undisclosed reasons.
• Defensive lineman Byron Cowart remains on the injured reserve/PUP for New England and will not be eligible to come off until at least Week Seven.