Donte Jackson, Cornerback

Linebacker Thomas Davis received strong consideration for this spot after recording 12 tackles (9 solo) and a pass defensed. Cornerback James Bradberry was also considered after collecting his first interception of the year.

But to me, rookie cornerback Donte Jackson is the clear choice. At first glance, his numbers don’t jump off the page. He finished with three tackles (2 solo), a tackle for loss and a pass defensed on Monday night.

Jackson also registered a rare pick-2. If you’re unaware of what a pick-2 is, it’s when a player intercepts a pass on an attempted 2-point conversion and returns it all the way across the opposing team’s goal line.

Jackson accounted for the Panthers’ only fourth-quarter points against the Saints, bringing them within three points on a play that could have given New Orleans a seven-point lead:

This graphic tweeted by NFL Next Gen Stats makes Jackson’s play even more impressive:

Panthers CB Donte Jackson traveled 121.9 yards and reached a max speed of 21.07 MPH on his two-point conversion INT return, the first two-point defensive score of the season.#NOvsCAR #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/yq0fqXTiZP

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 18, 2018

For that play alone, Jackson deserves this spot over some of his defensive teammates. But Monday night’s performance was undoubtedly the best outing for Carolina’s defense in quite some time.

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