Buccaneers vs Bengals: Matchups to Watch
Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson vs. William Jackson
Who doesn’t love an excellent corner-receiver showdown?
This week we’ll be getting one in Evans versus Jackson. Now in his second professional season, Jackson is one of the up-and-coming talents in the league. He’s one of the few corners in football with the physical profile to effectively match-up with a big receiver like Evans, and on top of that, he has excellent speed to recover against quick receivers.
In Weeks 4-7 (three games), #Bengals' William Jackson III has allowed receptions on 3-of-10 targets for just 26 yards, three first downs and zero touchdowns.
— PFF CIN Bengals (@PFF_Bengals) October 22, 2018
His 39.6 passer rating when targeted ranks T-5th among CBs with 10+ targets in the three-week span.#KingWJIII pic.twitter.com/SI7atdyHB3
William Jackson plays primarily on the right side of the field so he’ll likely get a good amount of snaps against both Evans and Jackson. I think what makes this pair of match-ups so interesting to me is that Jackson can answer the strengths of both Evans and Jackson.
Unlike last week where Browns corner Denzel Ward fit better matched up with DeSean Jackson, the Bengals can let their young corner cover just about anyone. William Jackson has only one career interception as a result of quarterbacks avoiding his territory altogether, so don’t be surprised if Jameis Winston chooses to focus on the center and left parts of the field.