Former New England Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson made his much-anticipated debut with the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night against the Kansas City Chiefs, and it was a noticeably rocky outing.
Jackson had been dealing with an ankle injury that kept him out of the opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. However, there was no shortage of tests in his return with the Chargers for a head-to-head matchup with the high-flying Chiefs offense led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
On one crucial play in the game, Jackson got absolutely obliterated by wideout Justin Watson on a route, resulting in a 41-yard touchdown for the Chiefs.
Chiefs WR Justin Watson gets J.C. Jackson turned around at the top of the route and dusts him for the long TD. pic.twitter.com/pFWIh4RTgb
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 16, 2022
Jackson, a former undrafted free agent, fought his way onto the Patriots and quickly rose to stardom under the tutelage of head coach Bill Belichick. He was a key part of the vaunted Patriots defense that shut down the Los Angeles Rams to win Super Bowl LIII.
In August, he was ranked by his peers at No. 20 in the NFL’s Top 100 best players in the league.
There have been many former Patriots players that have gone on and failed to have the same success that they had in New England. The Chargers certainly hope that isn’t the case for Jackson after signing him to a five-year, $82.5 million deal in the offseason.