The Minnesota Vikings saw each of their first two drives on Sunday ended by one player. Lions rookie cornerback Jerry Jacobs ruined a couple of designed short passes with excellent instincts and powerful tackles, forcing the Vikings offense off the field. Jacobs finished the game with seven solo tackles, including two for losses.
It’s nothing new for the undrafted free agent. Jacobs has proven a very reliable tackler all season, and his physical style has also paid dividends in coverage. He’s the kind of player head coach Dan Campbell covets: smart, physical, confident and quick.
Campbell made it clear he loves the aggressive approach Jacobs, as well as fellow outside CB Amani Oruwariye, takes to tackling.
“If you can’t tackle, you can’t play on this defense and both of them did that and Jerry really showed up,” Campbell said in his Monday press conference via Zoom. “He’s kind of a pitbull out there and he can cover 1-on-1, but he’ll also come up and tackle you and hit you, and so that’s good.”
Jacobs has solidified his starting spot and continues to improve his all-around game by the week. It’s an impressive rookie campaign from a player who was something of an afterthought as an undrafted rookie from Arkansas.
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