Patriots: JC Jackson warns Darren Waller ahead of Sunday matchup

Patriots cornerback JC Jackson threatened Raiders tight end Darren Waller ahead of Sunday’s matchup.

The effects of a delayed start to training camp and canceled preseason have been felt around the NFL through the first two weeks of the 2020 campaign. Unfortunately, they have come in the form of a rash of injuries, both short and-long term, to star players.

While the Patriots are admittedly banged up heading into Week 3 (all teams are), they clearly have the advantage over their opponent in the injury department. As of this writing, Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs and tight end Darren Waller are both questionable for the game.

Both players would present problems for the Patriots defense if they do play, and it would appear that head coach Bill Belichick has a plan in place to contain the latter, who is fresh off arguably the best game of his career.

In fact, Patriots cornerback JC Jackson went as far as to threaten Waller ahead of the matchup.

"“He’s just a big guy who can make plays and get open,” Jackson told reporters during a video call on Friday. “The guy is good. That’s all I can say about him. He’s good. And we got something for him this weekend.”"

We love these comments from Jackson, but it’s pretty surprising that a Belichick-coached player, let alone a member of the secondary, is expressing this much confidence in the defense’s ability to contain Waller after it got torched by Seattle for 35 points last time out.

In a Week 2 win over the Saints, Waller tallied 12 receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown, which led Las Vegas by a wide margin. New Orleans’ defense is no slouch either, so it’s not like the 28-year-old stud was beating coverage and creating mismatches against a woeful unit. He’s one of the best tight ends the NFL has to offer and proved it against a legitimate championship contender in primetime.

Jackson’s comments, as much as they encapsulate the Patriots cutthroat culture, just put so much more pressure on Belichick’s plan for Waller to work. If the former sixth-round pick pops off on Sunday while playing on a bum knee, well, he would be wholly justified in ripping Jackson a new one in the postgame presser.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

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