Las Vegas Raiders at Carolina Panthers: 3 players to watch in Week 1
Josh Jacobs, RB
Second-year running back Josh Jacobs looks to come out of the gate with something to prove. Last year, Jacobs finished in the top-10 of overall running back scores according to Pro-Football Focus. Jacobs held his own in a backfield that had a lot to prove from the 2018 season.
He finished the season with 1,150 yards on 242 attempts, with an average of 4.8 yards per carry. However, the best stat from last season is his yards after contact with 842 yards and a 3.4 average.
Meaning, every time Josh Jacobs touched the ball he was gaining nearly 3.5 yards after the first contact.
Jacobs goes into the 2020 season as an elite running back in this league, and heis proving he could handle the pressure, and the carrying load. Not on the stat sheet, however, is his ability to find holes and run up them as fast as they can. Jacobs is fantastic as a one-cut running back, a player that can run horizontal and vertical while getting up to speed very quickly.
The second-year running back is one of the best at finding the holes and making sure he hits them hard. This year, Jacobs should get the ball more in the RedZone to get more touchdowns than he did as a rookie (7).
Last season, the Panthers had one of the worst rushing defenses in the league, averaging 143 yards per game given up. Between Jacobs and the offensive line, Las Vegas should win in the trenches and push the Panthers defensive line backward to get some holes for the running game.