Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson opens up on key defensive plays amid Cardinals' trash talk
There was reportedly a lot of trash talk from the Arizona Cardinals today. It was a day that ended in misery after the Carolina Panthers eliminated the Cards from playoff contention, but Arizona seemed to believe the Panthers were beneath them for most of the day.
Jaycee Horn addressed this as well in his postgame comments, but fellow cornerback Mike Jackson, who made two key pass breakups in the waning moments of Sunday's outing, also confirmed what the Cardinals players were saying.
Panthers corner Mike Jackson discusses Cardinals trash talk, defensive stops
Mike Jackson felt like the Cardinals offense was specifically targeting him late in the contest. "Somebody on their sideline [was talking trash]," Jackson said. "I just played good football... That's fine, they can call us trash. We beat them. So if we're trash, what's that mean?"
Jackson finished with six tackles and two pass deflections, both of which came late in the game. The cornerback helped prevent the Cardinals from scoring and winning in overtime, which gave way to Chuba Hubbard's walk-off winner.
The Cardinals didn't need to throw as often, as the run game was dominant most of the day. However, when the Panthers had the lead and James Conner was out of the contest, they resorted to the air much more. That allowed the Panthers' corners and defensive backs like Jackson to make plays, and they did. It helped eliminate the Cardinals from postseason contention and clearly frustrated the Arizona sideline.
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