Getty Lions cornerback Jerry Jacobs makes a gesture in a Steelers game.
The Detroit Lions have a player in cornerback Jerry Jacobs that feels poised to become a star in the NFL given what he brings to the mix.
Last season, when Jacobs went down with an ACL injury, it was one of the more unfortunate misfortunes the team endured. Jacobs made the team as an undrafted free agent and scrapped for a role, and once he was excelling, the injury bug bit.
That was then and this is now, however. Almost a year later, Jacobs is back and is clearly feeling good about where he is trending the rest of the year.
Speaking to Tim Twentyman on the Twentyman in the Huddle podcast, Jacobs explained what it felt to get back on the field. As he said, he almost couldn’t believe what he was able to do for the team, either.
.@_luhjerry returned to the defense in a big way against the Packers‼️
Hear more from Jacobs on this week’s Twentyman in the Huddle, presented by @Microsoft.
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“It’s a big blessing. I swear if you watch film, all I did when I got on the field is thank God. I tore my ACL in college and it wasn’t this early to be back on the field. I just couldn’t believe I was able to run with the guys, and just trust myself to play like that. So I was happy,” Jacobs said.
All summer long, Jacobs put in the work to be able to have that moment, so to see it pay off for both him and the team was very special, indeed. With this game under his belt, there’s a hope that Jacobs can remain a key piece for the Lions.
Always one of the best leaders on the team, it’s not a surprise to hear Jacobs’ reaction to his first big game off his return.
Jacobs Plays Huge Role for Lions in Win
While Jacobs told Aaron Rodgers to stop trying him before halftime, the quarterback didn’t exactly listen to him. Rodgers actually kept trying Jacobs in the game, but didn’t make much progress at all when doing so.
During the game, Jacobs would finish with four targets and no completions allowed to the Packers. He showed off his budding skills with a beautiful play along the sidelines against Allen Lazard which didn’t go as a completion:
SEATBELT 🔒
As a result of this, Jacobs was also rated as a top PFF player for Week 9. The cornerback has worked hard to get back on the field after an injury last season, and now that he saw an uptick in snaps and played well, that should be the start of his ability to play a major role for the team.
In the end, Jacobs may have even backed up his trash talking of Rodgers by stepping up and playing strong while not being intimidated even a little bit.
Jacobs Might Save Lions Backfield by Himself
With this effort, it’s clear that the Lions may be able to have their backfield come together with the healthy addition of Jacobs in the near future.
From a positive mindset to the trash talking mental edge to playmaking, Jacobs has brought a lot to the mix for the Lions in terms of his presence. Detroit has struggled on the back end with inconsistency most of the year, with lots of injuries as well as players like Amani Oruwariye struggling to maintain their edge. Jacobs, however, gave the Lions just what they needed.
Last season, he managed to put up a total of 34 tackles, but much like he did in this game, the best asset he brought to the mix was his spirit and his grittiness. Those are the attributes which got Jacobs into the league, and at times, the Lions seemed to miss them on the back end early this season.
Now that Jacobs is back, it would not be a shock to see the entire backfield elevate its collective play. He’s that important to the group overall.