Oakland Raiders: Josh Jacobs must get involved in the passing game

Josh Jacobs‘ skill set is not solely limited to the ground game, he can be a threat through the air as well. It’s time for the Oakland Raiders to get him involved in the passing game.

Through three weeks into the regular season, the Oakland Raiders are inadvertently giving opposing defenses the blueprint for success. In their victory in the season opener, Josh Jacobs totaled 113 yards (85 of them on the ground) alongside two rushing touchdowns. Fast forward to Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings, and Jacobs was limited to just 44 rushing yards on 10 carriers, with no targets in the passing game.

Albeit, Jacobs was not at full strength due to sickness and other lingering injuries, but the Vikings had a simple plan on defense and it worked to fruition: stack the box and bottle up Josh Jacobs in the backfield. Anything else the Raiders could counter with, they’ll live with it.

It doesn’t have to be that simple for opposing defenses, so long as the Jon Gruden understands this and fully maximizes the talent he has with Josh Jacobs.

More specifically, it means finally getting Jacobs going in the passing game, where he can help shoulder the load and potentially create opportunities for others.

In his three seasons at Alabama, Josh Jacobs caught 48 receptions for 571 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 11.9 yards per reception with the Crimson Tide. A significant reason why Jacobs was the first running back taken in the draft was the belief that he could be a true three-down back, and that means having a role in the passing attack as well as on the ground.

Tyrell Williams is the Raiders’ number one receiver, but he is not (or shouldn’t be) their primary receiving option. That title currently resides with Darren Waller, who looks like a breakout star but for some reason cannot get going early. Is it because defenses know this, or is Jon Gruden purposefully avoiding Waller early on?

Whatever the case may be, Gruden says he realizes the need to unleash Jacobs’ full skills:

Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt, and assume it’s a challenge to get him the ball. That is where Jacobs can come into play, to help alleviate any issues in the passing game and keep defenses honest. If the opposition wants to stack the box, then leverage Jacobs as a receiver.

Get him targets, find him the ball and force the defense to acknowledge him as a threat.

That should help ease the coverage off of Waller or even Tyrell Williams, and add a little variety to the offense. If you’re going to play the dink-and-dunk game, do so as a means of moving the chains, not settling for three-and-outs.

Josh Jacobs had a single receiving target in Week 1, and it led to a 28-yard gain. Since then, zero targets in two games that ended up in the loss column. The Raiders need to stay competitive and at least have a counter when going up against the contenders in the league. The only way to stay competitive is to utilize as many weapons as you have.

Oakland has that in Josh Jacobs, but they’re doing themselves no favors if not getting him involved properly. The Raiders can’t afford to get him zero targets through the air on Sunday. Week 4 is a must-win, so give yourself the best chance to win by leveraging Josh Jacobs as a receiver.