Raiders: 3 Keys to victory against the Bengals in the Wild Card round
By Brad Weiss
Raiders: 3 Keys to victory against the Bengals in the Wild Card round
Run, Josh, Run
Throughout the first 13 or so games of the regular season, Josh Jacobs had really struggled to get going, as he did not have a single game over 100 yards on the ground. Sure, he had a nice game against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, and a 76-yard effort against the New York Giants, but for the most part, he had not looked like the Pro Bowl running back from a year ago.
A lot of that could be contributed to the offensive line, which had been atrocious in run blocking, as well as Jacobs dealing with some nagging injuries. But since the Cleveland game, when the season has been on the line, Jacobs has looked like his old self and capped his regular season with his second 100-plus yard game in his last two outings.
In fact, Jacobs averaged 94 yards per game over his last four outings, which just happen to be a four-game winning streak for the Raiders, and they must get him the ball early and often against Cincinnati. The weather is going to be cold and snowy on Saturday inside Paul Brown Stadium, so establishing the run game will be crucial for this Las Vegas offense.