Panthers CB will remember pick-six when Matthew Stafford 'makes his Hall of Fame speech'

A turning point in Sunday’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers came when cornerback Mike Jackson jumped a route and picked off Matthew Stafford, returning it 48 yards for a touchdown.

At the time, the score was tied 7-7, but Jackson’s game-changing play completely shifted the feel of Sunday’s contest. It was his sixth career interception but first pick-six, and it’s one he won’t soon forget.

After the game, he paid Stafford a compliment by calling him a future Hall of Famer – even after the Panthers heard all week that he’s “Superman with no cape.”

“All week they all just kept talking about how great he is and how he’s Superman with no cape. … I had to keep my composure because y’all was just acting like (he’s) the man,” Jackson said, via The Athletic. “Don’t get me wrong: He’s a Hall of Famer. When he’s having his Hall of Fame speech, I’m gonna be thinking about this pick. He’s great. But at the end of the day it’s about who’s better that day.”

The Panthers’ win was one of the most shocking results of the season thus far, taking down the NFC-leading Rams as 10.5-point underdogs. The Panthers were a .500 team to begin with, so it’s not as if they were the lowly Jets or Browns, but they were still massive underdogs at home without their top two defensive backs.

Stafford had his worst game of the season, too, throwing two interceptions and losing a costly fumble late in the fourth quarter when the Rams had a chance to tie or win the game.  It was a game full of mistakes by Los Angeles, one the Rams very easily could’ve won if not for a few critical errors – like Jackson’s pick-six in the first quarter.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Panthers CB Mike Jackson shows Matthew Stafford respect after pick-six