Jackson had a great view for one of the telling plays of the game, though it may not have looked that way at the time.
When Eagles center Jason Kelce launched a snap over quarterback Jalen Hurts late in the second quarter, the Panthers had about four chances to dive on the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. But safety Sean Chandler didn't see it in time as he was chasing Hurts. When he fell toward it, the ball squirted away from linebackers Jermaine Carter Jr. and Haason Reddick, and Jackson was standing nearby as it rolled out of the end zone for a safety.
The difference between that and a touchdown would have been significant.
Of course, the problems protecting Sam Darnold will get plenty of attention, as they should. But even with those problems, and even after giving up a five-point swing on the safety, the Panthers still had plenty of chances.
Even as the Panthers were floundering in the third quarter, the Eagles hadn't done much either, until a 53-yard pass to Quez Watkins gave them life. A Panthers penalty and one play later, Hurts scored a touchdown that cut it to 15-13 and started the comeback.
From there, the blocked punt that gave the Eagles field position for another touchdown drive just seemed like the natural extension of the day, when mistakes cascaded, building steam as they rolled down the mountain.
"Changes the momentum," Reddick said. "Still doesn't matter defense has to go out there, if it's a short field, keep them to three points at the max. Go out there and get a stop.
"I got so many emotions right now I don't even remember what happened after the blocked punt."
So many things, actually.
But the individual components paled in comparison to the theme.
For three weeks, the Panthers overcame some adversity.
Suddenly, without leaders like Shaq Thompson and Christian McCaffrey, without stoppers like Jaycee Horn, and without solid veterans like Juston Burris, the cracks began to turn into canyons.
"Disappointed about today. Really disappointed in the second half," Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said. "They played four quarters and we did not. Really not much to say other than that. We couldn't control the line of scrimmage. Gave up big plays late in the game. Couldn't protect the football. The quarterback was under duress. Couldn't make plays that we needed down in the red zone and all those areas to make touchdowns instead of field goals. Couldn't capitalize on the opportunities that we had.
"We did a nice job in the first half building a lead, and could not sustain it."
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Second-half collapse had roots in the second quarter - Panthers.com
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