Las Vegas Raiders 2020 Week 8 review: Studs and Duds
Las Vegas Raiders 2020 Week 8 review: Studs and Duds
The Studs – Part 2
Josh Jacobs
Josh Jacobs was the workhorse the Raiders drafted him to be as he carried the ball 31 times for 128 yards and came up just short of adding his sixth rushing touchdown of the season. The 31 carries are a career high for the second-year back and he showed that in a game where the conditions are ugly and the passing game is nearly nonexistent, he could carry the Silver and Black to a victory.
This performance was all the more impressive considering the Browns were the fifth ranked rush defense coming into Week 8 so the offensive line deserves plenty of credit as well. The Raiders and Jacobs punished the Browns with two 8-minute drives in the second half that chewed up clock and proved to ultimately be the difference in the game.
It has been a while since the Raiders have had a true superstar at running back and he is well on his way to cementing his reputation as one of the best backs in the NFL with a few more performances like Sunday’s.
Brandon Parker
Brandon Parker was going to be inactive on Sunday as Trent Brown was going to start and Sam Young was going to back him up but things changed quickly pregame. Brown was ruled out and Young played just 23 snaps before getting hurt so Parker stepped up to the plate and played very well.
Parker has been much maligned for his struggles but on Sunday he outplayed the veteran Young who gave up two sacks to Olivier Vernon to open the game. According to PFF, Parker did not give up a single pressure in his 19 pass snaps and played very well in the run game as the Raiders rode Josh Jacobs to close the game.
Next. Las Vegas Raiders at Cleveland Browns: 3 things we learned in Week 8. dark
To be fair the entire offensive line should be listed here as studs but Parker deserves some extra credit as he came in on such short notice and played very well. The Raiders have had a carousel at RT and LG this season but Parker took the “next man up” mantra seriously and helped lead the way to a victory.