4 crucial matchups the Carolina Panthers must win at Dolphins in Week 12

Donte Jackson vs. Jaylen Waddle

Donte Jackson has quietly been one of the better cornerbacks in the league for the majority of the last two seasons. The only thing keeping the aggressive defender from staking a better claim to that title was a rash of bad luck with the injury bug. Namely, a turf toe that severely limited his explosiveness in 2020.

That image took a bit of a hit on Sunday.

Jackson shadowed Terry McLaurin for most of the day and the wiry receiver was able to rack up more than 100 yards and routinely got separation. While not all of that was on the former LSU standout, a large majority of it was.

It has been quite a while since teams have seen Jackson as something to exploit in the passing game and it was painful to watch at points. The corner needs to bounce back against the Miami Dolphins if the Carolina Panthers want to keep any hope at the playoffs alive.

That will be a tall order against Jaylen Waddle, one of the more explosive rookies in the league.

While Waddle hasn’t really been the star a lot of people thought he would be as of yet, the rookie is a threat to be sure, and one that needs to be accounted for on every snap. Whether that be a simple deep ball or a reverse.

While his route running needs a bit of polishing, his speed is there for all to see and that can be enough to get dangerous separation.

One wrong step and Waddle will blow by you.

Along with that, injuries to the receiving corps mean that Waddle is the only proven target that is healthy. So expect the ball to be forced his way early and often.

Waddle’s game is very similar to that of McLaurin’s and we all know that the Dolphins coaching staff will be looking at that film very closely. Trying to figure out just how the Washington receiver was able to get open so often and replicate it.

How Jackson bounces back will be a major factor in who comes out on top in this game. The lights will be shining bright on this matchup from the word go.