The Chargers improved to 4-2 on the season Monday night, and they did so without the help of one of their top offseason acquisitions.
J.C. Jackson only played 26 snaps in Week 6, good for 44.8% of Los Angeles' defensive plays in its 19-16 win over the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium. Jackson, who signed a five-year, $82.5 deal with the Chargers in free agency, was benched at halftime and replaced by Michael Davis, a 2017 undrafted free agent who's in his sixth season with LA.
After the primetime game, Chargers head coach Brandon Staley kept it short and no-so-sweet in explaining why he stapled Jackson to the bench.
"It just wasn't good enough in the first half and we felt like we needed to make a change," Staley told reporters, per USA Today.
Jackson certainly wasn't good enough through the first two quarters against the Broncos. The 2021 second-team All-Pro was flagged for pass interference in the first frame and was responsible for blown coverage on a 39-yard touchdown catch-and-run by Denver tight end Greg Dulcich. Staley after the acknowledged Jackson was beaten on the visitors' lone touchdown of the game and he was not supposed to have safety help.
The dud against Denver wasn't exactly an unforeseen development for Jackson either. Per USA Today, Jackson surrendered 15 catches for 245 yards with two touchdowns across the 20 plays he was targeted entering Week 6. These struggles came after the 26-year-old missed the first two games of the season due to an ankle injury.
Jackson will try to rebound Sunday when the Chargers host the 3-3 Seattle Seahawks.
