Las Vegas Raiders: Midseason Awards at the halfway point of 2020

Las Vegas Raiders: Midseason Awards at the halfway point of 2020

Offensive Player of the First Half – RB Josh Jacobs

Josh Jacobs started the season like gangbusters with three touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers but went through a bit of a barren spell as he was held under 100 yards from scrimmage for four straight games from Weeks 3 to 7.

His best game in that time was a 23 carry, 77 yards, and two touchdown game against Kansas City where he was a difference maker but it was sandwiched between a 48-yard game against Buffalo and the worst game of his career against Tampa Bay.

Since the Tampa Bay game, Jacobs has rushed for 194 yards in two games included a 129 yard performance against Cleveland where he carried the rock 31 times to set a career high. He has done all of this while dealing with a knee issue but is back to looking at his best and with Carr airing it out more than ever he should have plenty of room to operate.

Jacobs is establishing himself as one of the best running backs in the league as he is third in the NFL in rushing yards with 588 and is fourth in rushing touchdowns with 6. He is fifth in the NFL in broken tackles with 14 and fourth in first downs gained on the ground with 37. The second year back has also shown a new aspect to his game with 19 receptions for 125 yards, already almost eclipsing the 20 for 166 he put up as a rookie.

It’s clear how much the Raiders rely on Josh Jacobs and they lean on him as much as any other team in the NFL does on their lead back. They are starting to distribute some of his carries to backup running back Devontae Booker to reduce the wear on Jacobs but he is still the engine that powers the Raider offense.