J.C. Jackson: Patriots secondary ‘can match with any receivers in the NFL’

Related: Patriots need ‘all 11 guys on point’ to slow down the Cowboys offense

The New England Patriots did allow Davis Mills to look pretty good last Sunday. Completing 72 percent of his pass attempts for 312 yards and 3 touchdowns, the Houston Texans quarterback looked more like a Pro Bowler than a rookie who had thrown for just 87 yards as well as 4 interceptions the previous week.

Mills is an up-and-coming quarterback, but he is no Dak Prescott. Prescott, after all, is firmly in the MVP conversation this year after having led the 4-1 Dallas Cowboys to the second most points in the league through five games.

On Sunday, the 28-year-old will go up against the Patriots defense. Obviously, there are some concerns: If Mills can look this good against New England’s defense, imagine what Prescott and his impressive arsenal of weapons will do?

This question will be answered soon enough, but one member of that Patriots defense appears to be quite confident that the unit will be able to slow Dallas down.

“I believe in my secondary,” cornerback J.C. Jackson said during a press conference earlier this week. “We’ve always been good defensively, so I feel like we can match with any receivers in the NFL. We’ve got a pretty good defense, a couple of veteran players who have been here for a while.”

Their number one cornerback following Stephon Gilmore’s departure, Jackson is a key member of the Patriots’ secondary. As such, he will see prominent action against Prescott and a skill position group featuring the likes of Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Dalton Schultz, Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, among others.

While it remains to be seen how New England’s coaches will opt to employ Jackson, it is not unreasonable to expect that he will see plenty of snaps lined up opposite Cooper. Earlier this week, the Patriots defender spoke highly of the star wide receiver who has caught 25 passes this year for 318 yards and 4 touchdowns.

“He’s probably one of the better receivers. Amari Cooper’s top five. This guy’s really good,” Jackson said. “He’s just so smooth. All his routes kind of look the same, but everything’s just smooth with Cooper, man. He’s fast, got good quickness, so you have to play him honest.”