Carolina Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson made it blatantly clear that he was not a fan of the general perception leading into their Week 13 game against the Los Angeles Rams. Although the veteran voiced clear respect for Matthew Stafford, he made it known how much he disliked the way analysts viewed the matchup beforehand.

Stafford entered Week 13 as an MVP frontrunner, primarily due to his eight-game streak without an interception. Conversely, the Panthers entered the game without star cornerback Jaycee Horn and safety Tre'von Moehrig.

Jackson let reporters know after the Panthers' shocking 31-28 upset victory that he heard the pre-game chatter and responded accordingly.

“We just had to play today,” Jackson said, via Joe Person of ‘The Athletic.' “All these guys just kept talking about how great he is and how he's Superman with no cape. At the end of the day, it's about who's better today, and we were. We got the ball out three times, so we got the result that we wanted.”

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Stafford has been arguably the best in the league at ball security, but that was nowhere to be found in Week 13. The 37-year-old lost his turnover-free streak on the Rams' second drive of the game at the goal line.

Jackson was responsible for Stafford's second turnover of the game. He stepped right in front of Puka Nacua to pick off an out route and turned the interception into a 48-yard touchdown.

Jackson has started all 12 of the Panthers' games in 2025, but he was thrust into a bigger role in Week 13. The seven-year veteran became the team's de facto CB1 for the game with Horn sidelined and spent most of the game battling Nacua and Davante Adams.

Although the Panthers will pray for Horn's return, Jackson proved himself capable of filling that role against the Rams. Carolina returns to the road in Week 14, when it faces the struggling New Orleans Saints in the Caesars Superdome.