Breaking down Josh Jacobs development for the Oakland Raiders
By Daniel Davis
Week 2 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The second week was against the Chiefs and we all know the outcome of this game. In the second quarter, the Chiefs put up 28 points and the Raiders got blown out at home against their division rival.
This was a game where Jacobs only had 12 carries but had nearly 100 yards. He had production, but the team had to abandon the run early in the second half due to the score difference.
In the first play from scrimmage, Jacobs got the ball and ran to the right side where Trent Brown pancaked the defender and Darren Waller set the edge for Jacobs to run through the C gap with ease.
The 7-yard gain was supposed to set the tone for the rest of the game, and it did for his running style.
The second play I want to talk about came in the second quarter on a 12-yard run. It was a zone-blocking run to the right where the lead was Rodney Hudson. Miller did a good job of getting to the second level and taking out the middle linebacker leaving five offensive blockers for four defenders in the box. The offensive line opened up a hole in the B gap and Jacobs knifed up the middle of it and just followed the blocks.
Most running backs at rookie-level would bounce it to the outside, but he made the cut inside and looked for open space. His awareness and expectations of where the holes are going to be comes only with learning the tendencies of his lineman and having that film-sessions with them.
Jacobs is playing like a pro in his second start already.
In the third quarter, Jacobs had an 8-yard run which I was impressed with as well. The rookie ran on a zone-read to the right and as the defense followed the run, the blockers didn’t make clear holes and he had to improvise. he B gap opened up a little bit and Trent Brown passed the linebacker off to the right guard then began running to the right.
Jacobs stayed patient and waited for the defender to over pursue and then cut up field forcing the defender to run into the barreling Trent Brown at full speed. His cut gained about five more yards than if he would’ve kept going the way he was.
Even though this game wasn’t a win, Jacobs proved he was developing in the right direction.