The Oakland Raiders had a ton of drama heading into Monday night’s Week 1 contest at home against the Denver Broncos. Oakland had to deal with the release of wide receiver Antonio Brown. The Raiders played with a ton of energy and they upset Denver 24-16. One of the reasons why Oakland was able to pull off this upset is because rookie running back Josh Jacobs was able to dictate the game by running the ball.
Jacobs rushed for 85 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns. He also caught one pass for 28 yards receiving.
Josh Jacobs is the first player since hall of fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson back in 2001 who had over 100 yards from scrimmage and a rushing touchdown in his NFL debut.
Jacobs was taken with the 24th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of the University of Alabama. He is a powerful three-down back that the Oakland Raiders desperately need. If Jacobs is able to run the ball effectively week in and week out, they will be in very good shape and it will also help Derek Carr out more.
It will open up the passing game more, especially on play action. Carr completed 22-of-26 passes for 259 yards and one touchdown. He only rushed for two yards on two carries. His only touchdown pass in the game came in the first-quarter on a 8-yard pass to Tyrell Williams.
It was a surprise that Oakland was able to control the line of scrimmage against a very good Denver Broncos defense that has Bradley Chubb and Von Miller. They were both held in check in the game on Monday night.
It will be tough for the Raiders (1-0) to repeat the same performance at home this Sunday, against the Kansas City Chiefs (1-0). Denver (0-1) will face the Chicago Bears (0-1) at home on Sunday.
If Josh Jacobs were to ever go down with an injury. There would be a major drop off at the running back position. The backups on the roster are DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard. Washington only rushed for eight yards on two carries. Richard rushed for three yards on one carry.
Jacobs will be relied upon a lot in the backfield this season. Especially, if this team wants to have a lot of success. I would not be surprised if he wins the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award this season.
