Unfortunately, the Las Vegas Raiders dropped a nail-biter in the waning minutes of their game against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, falling 22-24. This was a game that the club really needed to keep their postseason chances alive, so we’ll take a step back and focus on the squad’s running game. An aspect of the offense that’s been inconsistent, to put it nicely.
Why aren’t the Raiders feeding Josh Jacobs more consistently?
In Sunday’s game, top running back Josh Jacobs led the squad with 66 rushing yards, demonstrating his hunger by plowing through defenders and fighting hard to earn extra yards. Meanwhile, his teammate Brandon Bolden had 17 rushing yards, while his quarterback Derek Carr showed off his timely quickness with 17 rushing yards as well.
This looked to succeed because their opponents had no answer for halting the Raiders’ rushing attack, but the philosophy evolved in-game and the Raiders’ attack became more air-based.
Again, more emphasis should be placed on utilizing Jacobs in the offense because he is a key difference maker in how the game runs; he now has 192 rushing yards this season. Even though it’s early in the season, those numbers should be slightly higher by now.
Feed Josh More, Simply Put.
When you have an electrifying talent like Josh, he needs the ball in his hands more often; it has been established that when he carries the ball the majority of the time, the ultimate result is a W in the column. Have people forgotten that he willed the Raiders into the playoffs during the final stretch of 2021? To his credit, he’s averaging nearly five yards per carry right now.
He’s obviously healthy; why not make the most of it if you’re Josh McDaniels? Again, it’s the inconsistencies with this club. The play selection isn’t adding up. When McDaniels came on board, he was quick to stockpile the running back group. Originally, fans thought it was with the intention of revolutionizing the Raiders’ run game. Instead, we’ve seen the opposite, as evidenced by Sunday’s numbers (13 total carries by Jacobs). Raider Nation is surely hoping this gets rectified at some point.
Onto Bronco’s Country
This Sunday, the Raiders face another AFC West division rival, the Denver Broncos. They’re featuring one of the NFL’s top defenses, led by Randy Gregory and Bradley Chubb. The dynamic power duo already has five sacks and three forced fumbles between the both of them. As a whole, Denver’s defense is currently ranked sixth in terms of rushing yards allowed (244) and first in touchdowns allowed with zero. What does that mean? Basically, Jacobs is going to have a go at it when the Raiders host the Broncos this weekend. However, the O-line has held up enough for Jacobs to have big plays, so they’ll need to continue this trend.
*Top Photo: Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
