Las Vegas Raiders: Predicting the All-AFC West offense in 2021
Quarterback and Running Back
QB: Pat Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Derek Carr had a very solid and impressive season in 2020, but we have to use logic here, as this one is a no-brainer. Coming off a season in which Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs to another Super Bowl appearance, the 25-year-old quarterback out of Texas Tech is the best signal-caller in football.
He threw for nearly 5,000 yards to go along with 38 touchdowns to six interceptions, and barring any sort of surprise Aaron Rodgers situation, Mahomes should have no competition here at the quarterback position in the division.
RB: Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
This was a tough call to make between Jacobs and Chiefs back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, especially when taking into consideration that the Raiders added running back Kenyan Drake in the offseason, which should take away plenty of snaps from Jacobs. Nevertheless, the third-year back should see a huge improvement over his somewhat disappointing sophomore season in 2020.
The Raiders had a batch of injuries on the offensive line in 2020, which led to the decrease in numbers for Jacobs. The Raiders did revamp their offensive line this offseason, and with a healthy line in front of him, expect Jacobs to get back to the numbers of his rookie season. Even with Drake in the fold, Jacobs is the bell cow back in Las Vegas and should see a major jump in his yards per carry in 2021.