The Las Vegas Raiders played their first preseason game yesterday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even though it was a tiny sample size, this was a tremendously exciting game as fans were expecting the display of a Josh McDaniels-led offense.
While the team won 27-11, they thoroughly dominated their opponent for most of the game. There were many important parts to this win, but today we will focus on the team’s rushing attack.
Raiders: Running Back By Committee
During the early parts of the game, star running back Josh Jacobs started the ball rolling by aggressively attacking the Jaguars defense, bull rushing through them and displaying the hunger that Raiders fans are accustomed to seeing. Despite minimal snaps, he finished the game with 30 yards rushing.
Not to be outdone, his rookie teammate Zamir White led the team in rushing yards with 52. On his first snap, he went through tackles for 14 yards, flashing flashes of his college days at Georgia. This season, he and Jacobs have the potential to be a deadly duo.
Kenyan Drake also made his return to the club during this game, although he was injured early on and finished with nine yards rushing. Because of his injury, colleagues like Ameer Abdullah and Austin Walter saw extra playing time. Speaking of those two, they made the most of their opportunities, scoring touchdowns in both instances.
More Competition At Running Back?
Zamir White flashes some moves 👀
📺: @ProFootballHOF Game | NBC | @zeus1_34 pic.twitter.com/RqAKAIBf5F
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) August 5, 2022
We don’t know the extent of Drake’s injury, but if it continues into the regular season, it could open up more opportunities for players who wouldn’t normally see the field. Abdullah comes to mind as someone who excels at this opportunity. He demonstrated in today’s game that when called upon, the job will be done.
While this was only a preseason game, it demonstrated how deep the Raiders’ running back depth is and how many ways they can hurt your defense.
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*Top Photo: David Richard/Associated Press
