It was a thing of beauty for fans to see the Las Vegas Raiders offense come alive and for DeSean Jackson to make his presence known.
Jackson walked into a difficult situation with the Raiders. The team was reeling from the loss of their star wide receiver, Henry Ruggs III, after he was released following his involvement in a tragic car accident. An offense with a potent and explosive passing attack abruptly crumbled. The Raiders found themselves banking on Jackson’s speed to help them rediscover what had led them to a 5-2 start. Yesterday in front of the country as everyone celebrated Thanksgiving, Jackson did just that.
Jackson’s still got it…
Before yesterday’s game, Jackson had little to no impact for Las Vegas in the previous two games. At least not on the stat sheet. Against the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs, Jackson totaled just one reception. Though to be fair, that lone catch went for 38 yards, so clearly Jackson hadn’t lost a step. A more conservative approach was hindering the Silver and Black during that stretch but against the Cowboys, we saw Jackson do what he does best, take the top off the defense.
DJax loves playing here 😅@DeSeanJackson10 is GONE for six.#LVvsDAL | #RaiderNation | CBS pic.twitter.com/F4RmaTcLsv
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 25, 2021
Arguably the play of the game for Las Vegas, Jackson showed he’ll be vital moving forward. It was a thing of beauty and credit to everyone involved, especially for quarterback Derek Carr who was patient and allowed the play to develop.
For those of you who criticize Carr for not throwing it deep enough, he’s tied with Josh Allen for passes of 20-plus yards with 21. As far as yesterday’s contest, Next Gen Stats by the NFL Tweeted that Jackson’s touchdown catch of 56 yards had 32 yards after the catch. He ended the game with just three receptions but totaled 102 yards. No one’s saying he’s replacing Ruggs, but Jackson is precisely what the Raiders needed to get back on track.
On an individual career note per Jeff Kerr of CBS, Jackson now has 34 touchdown catches of 50-plus yards, two behind the greatest to ever do it, Jerry Rice.
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*Top Photo: Matt Aguirre/Las Vegas Raiders