To Ben Arthur
FOX Sports AFC South Lighter
The Las Vegas Raiders’ offseason hype revolved around receiving three threats.
In a blockbuster trade with the Green Bay Packers, the Raiders acquired All-Pro receiver Davante Adams in March, pairing them with star tight end Darren Waller and standout receiver Hunter Renfrow. On paper, it’s a poison dilemma for the opposite secondary.
But running back Josh Jacobs is the top playmaker to start the season. And he was the driving force behind his second win of the year.
“We stopped beating ourselves up and just ran,” quarterback Derek Carr said.
Jacobs had 20 carries for 143 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-20 win over the Raiders (2-4) over the Houston Texans (1-4-1) at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday. It was Las Vegas’ second win in three games after starting the season 0-3.
The Raiders scored 21 unanswered points in the 4th quarter. It started with Jacobs, who had 98 rushing yards in the second half, and ran out a Texans defense that entered the third worst game in the league by stopping runs. He crushed Houston without gaining more than his 15 yards.
After the Texans regained the lead at 20–17, with 3:14 left in the third quarter, Jacobs had a 12-yard run on the ensuing possession to set the Raiders just outside the red zone. He later hit a touchdown from 7 yards out to put Vegas up 24-20.
Jacobs continued to dominate on the Raiders’ next drive. He started the series with a 12-yard run. After two plays, he scored a 13-yard run. The Las Vegas possession capped off with Jacob’s 15-yard touchdown his run. He accounted for 40 of the 81 yards he scored on his drive.
Jacobs is now running 140+ yards in three straight games. In that span, he has scored his 523 yards in scrimmage and his 6 touchdowns, claiming a hefty contract extension with the Raiders.
According to CBS, Jacobs set a Raiders franchise record for Marcus Allen for the most rushing yards in a player’s first 50 games.
“Josh is one of the best backs in the league,” said Kerr, who completed 21 of 27 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown.
Adams (8 receptions for 95 yards) also had a big game for the Raiders on Sunday, but the defense also stepped up.
Texans quarterback Davis Mills was having his best game of the season before being intercepted by Raiders safety Duron Harmon on a 73-yard Pick 6. That was the game’s only turnover.
The Raiders sacked Mills just once, but the quarterback had nine hits. This is a big step forward for Pass his rush, which has struggled to generate consistent pressure over Max Crosby, the pro his bowl defensive end. The Texans red in his zone he was held to 1/3.
Going into Sunday, the Raiders’ biggest problem was finishing the game. All four of their losses are six points or less.
They finished against the Texans. Of course, the match did not lead to a goal. However, early in the 4th quarter he saw his change for the lead by 4 and a seesaw incident that was 4 points in his contest, the Raiders found a way to win.
It’s something to build on.
“The team is going to have to defend the run,” Carr said. “We have the weapons. We don’t have everything right now. , Josh is doing a great job on the O-line.…There are things to fix, but if we can do it.With that type of clip and that type of level, it’s good for us.
“We want to be a balanced football team,” he continued. “I don’t care if I throw 5,000 yards or rush 2,000 yards. I don’t care if I’m in the middle. I just want to win football games.”
Ben Arthur is FOX Sports’ AFC South reporter. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where for a year and a half he was the writer for Beat Titans. He covered the Seattle Seahawks on SeattlePI.com for his three seasons (2018-20) before moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on his Twitter. @benyarthur.
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