5 storylines for the 2019 Oakland Raiders at midseason
By Kenny King
The Oakland Raiders are officially at the midway point of their 2019 NFL season, and here are the five major storylines so far.
The Oakland Raiders are currently sitting at .500 at the hallway point through the season and are generating a lot of excitement throughout the fan base, media and the league as a whole. After a sobering 2018 campaign that saw the Raiders with a 4-12 finish the Raiders are on a trajectory, in this piece we are going to take a look at five storylines that show where the team is halfway through the season.
Josh Jacobs is making a strong push for Rookie of the Year
When the Raiders drafted Josh Jacobs 24th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, using one of the picks they received from the Chicago Bears in exchange for Khalil Mack in 2018, a tremendous amount of scrutiny was placed upon the pick. Media questioned why a running back would be taken in the first round, questions around Jacob’s durability swirled mainly in part of his coming from a shared backfield in Alabama.
Those concerns were quickly put to bed on September 9th when the Raiders opened up against the Denver Broncos, and Jacobs rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns, while recording another 28 yards through the air. That effort made him the first rookie running back since LaDainian Tomlinson to record over 100 yards and two touchdowns in his debut.
Since that game, the legend of Josh Jacobs has only continued to grow, shattering both Marcus Allen and Bo Jackson‘s rookie rushing records, Jacobs is currently the best offensive rookie in this class and one of the best running backs in the NFL. If Jacobs continues this impressive streak, he should run away with Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.