Terps in the NFL: Stefon Diggs and J.C. Jackson are both leading the league

Two former Maryland football players became leaders of the entire NFL in their respective categories with their play in Week 8.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs is at the top of the league in receptions (63), targets (91) and receiving yards (813), while New England Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson sits at No. 1 in interceptions with five on the season.

Diggs caught nine passes for 118 yards on Sunday against Seattle, which were his second-most catches and receiving yards in a game this season. Buffalo defeated Seattle, 44-34, in one of its toughest tests of the season, improving to 7-2, which is good for first place in the AFC East and third place in the entire AFC.

He’s now led the Bills in catches and receiving yards in seven of their nine games in 2020. The performance also marked his fourth game with over 100 receiving yards.

Diggs continues to be a problem for opposing defenses due to his elusive route running and his absurd acceleration and speed. On this play from Sunday’s game, Diggs used his route running skills to escape from All-Pro safety Jamal Adams for a big gain.

The Bills will travel to Glendale, Arizona, next Sunday to take on the Arizona Cardinals.

New England Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson recorded his fourth consecutive game with a pick against the Jets on Monday Night Football in a 30-27 victory.

The third-year man struggled early on in Monday’s game, getting burned twice by Jets wide receiver Breshad Perriman. New York connected on two touchdown passes from quarterback Joe Flacco to Perriman because of blown coverages from Jackson.

But the defensive back made up for it with a game saving interception late in the fourth quarter.

Jackson’s pick allowed New England’s offense to march down the field for a touchdown to tie the game. The Patriots forced a Jets punt and capped off a game-winning drive with a Nick Folk field goal to win the game.

Jackson finished the game with one tackle, two pass deflections and an interception. He has now tied his career high of five interceptions and 10 pass deflections from last season in just the first eight games this year.

Other Performers

• Panthers linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr. put together a solid performance on Sunday against Kansas City. He recorded four total tackles, two of them being solo. This was Carter’s season-high in tackles in a game.
• Green Bay Packers safety Darnell Savage was all over the field on Thursday Night Football against San Francisco, though he only picked up one total tackle. Savage nearly intercepted a pass from quarterback Nick Mullens, but he dropped the ball in the middle of the field.

• Patriots defensive end Byron Cowart started Monday night against the Jets. He finished with two tackles in the game.
• Pittsburgh Steelers running back Anthony McFarland Jr. rushed the ball three times for seven yards in the Steelers’ win over Dallas. He also caught two passes for 15 yards. Pittsburgh is now 8-0 and in first place in the AFC.
• Carolina Panthers wide receiver DJ Moore struggled on Sunday against the Chiefs. He caught two catches for 18 yards on just three targets. This was by far Moore’s worst game of the season, as his least amount of yards in a game prior was 54 yards in Week One. Moore is now 13th in the league in receiving yards with 640 yards.
• New York Jets running back Ty Johnson returned the game’s opening kick on special teams but did not record an offensive stat.
• After recording a tackle last week against the Saints, Chicago Bears linebacker Josh Woods did not play a defensive snap this week against Tennessee. Woods continues to contribute on special teams.
• Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson did not record a stat, though he did play defensive snaps against Seattle.
• Baltimore Ravens defensive end Yannick Ngakoue earned his first start for the Ravens, but failed to record a stat against the Indianapolis Colts.
• Steelers safety Sean Davis did not record a stat and mostly played on special teams against Dallas.