DeSean Jackson gets behind Panthers defense for 56-yard touchdown (Video)

DeSean Jackson came up big for the Redskins with a long early touchdown in Carolina

The Washington Redskins hadn’t gotten much production from their number one wide receiver in DeSean Jackson in 2015. Due to injuries keeping him off the field entirely or simply limiting what he can do, Jackson had just 59 yards receiving on the season heading into Washington’s matchup with the Carolina Panthers in Week 11. He almost matched that with one play in the first quarter against Carolina.

Jackson didn’t do anything fancy in terms of his route-running, but he turned on the jets like the DeSean Jackson of old and absolutely torched the Panthers nickel back in Colin Jones to get loose down the right sideline. Kirk Cousins threw a nice deep ball and Jackson had an easy path to the end zone:

It’s just one play, but that certainly looked a lot more like the DeSean Jackson of old than we’ve seen at any other point this season. That could be huge for the Redskins down the stretch if Jackson can come back and give them that big-play threat. They haven’t had that almost all season and Jackson could really open up the offense.

In terms of the matchup in Carolina, the Jackson touchdown was also huge in terms of confidence for Washington. Dustin Hopkins slipped on the opening kickoff and Cousins threw a pick on their first offensive drive. So to get a big-play touchdown on their next drive is huge for garnering momentum and keeping them in the game against the unbeaten Panthers.