It was a wild game in the Meadowlands but the Silver and Black escaped with the victory. Despite the win, how did the running game do for the Las Vegas Raiders?
Heading into this week’s matchup, the Raiders knew they were going to be without star running back Josh Jacobs. ’28’ suffered an ankle injury in the previous game against the Atlanta Falcons, so it turned out to be a smart move to let him rest. Knowing this, head coach Jon Gruden relied on Devontae Booker to carry the load.
Looking back on the finish, it’s clear this game was won in the passing game by quarterback Derek Carr’s heroics. Carr himself got in on the action by rushing in for a touchdown as well, totaling five yards off of two carries.
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How Did The Raiders Running Backs Look?
Overall, missing Jacobs was huge as we saw just how important he is during this absence. Booker didn’t get much going and led the team in rushing with 50 yards coming off 16 carries while averaging 3.1 yards per carry.
The other Raiders running backs didn’t fare much better either. Third-stringer Jalen Richard saw four carries go for 11 yards, though he did have a reception go for six yards. Theo Riddick also got in on the action, amassing six yards off of three carries and saw a reception go for three yards. All in all, this was a porous performance but again, we have to take into account Jacobs’ absence. The Silver and Black are surely hoping that the sophomore running back can be good to go now that they’re in the home stretch.
On a side note, the Jets running backs ran for 206 yards with Ty Johnson totaling 104 of those with a touchdown too. Jets quarterback Samm Darnold also scored a rushing touchdown too in a losing effort.
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*Top Photo: Noah K. Murray/Associated Press