The Las Vegas Raiders narrowly escaped Empower Field with a win, ending their 2020 season with an 8-8 record. Let’s take a look at how the run game contributed to the victory.
Josh Jacobs became a Pro Bowler this season, which marks an exciting time for the Raiders. Though the ground attack disappeared throughout the season, the future looks good. It’s difficult to stick to the running game when you find yourself constantly down thanks to a porous defense. The Silver and Black nearly let this game slip them and were close to ending the year 7-9. While the season suffered from another collapse, Jacobs did his part by playing at a high level in this contest.
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How did the Raiders’ run game perform versus the Broncos defense?
As far as the season finale, Jacobs had a solid outing against the Denver Broncos. He generated 89 rushing yards off of 15 touches, scoring two touchdowns in the process. Jacobs averaged 5.9 yards per carry as he broke off a 28-yard run, all in all, it was a performance we’re used to seeing. While Jacobs’ health will be paramount in 2021, the offensive line has to dominate the run game the way it did last year.
Josh Jacobs with the ‼ï¸@IAM_JoshJacobs | CBS pic.twitter.com/Sysjkle684
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) January 4, 2021
Backup running back Devontae Booker also saw action and received five carries against his old team. He totaled 16 rushing yards while averaging 3.2 yards per carry, his longest run was that of six yards. It will be interesting to see if the Raiders stick with ’23’ as the backup in 2021 or if they move in a different direction.
Even though the season ended in disappointment, Jacobs now forms part of a trifecta that should have fans excited for 2021.
For the first time in franchise history, the @Raiders have registered a 4,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver in back-to-back seasons (QB Derek Carr, RB Josh Jacobs and TE Darren Waller).
— Raiders PR (@RAIDERS_PR) January 4, 2021
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*Top Photo: David Zalubowski/Associated Press