The Raiders have a pretty simple offensive philosophy. They want to get the ball to Josh Jacobs as much as possible. They certainly accomplished that as the sophomore running back touched the ball 29 times in Week 1.
While the efficiency wasn’t great (3.7 yards per carry), the team rode Jacobs to the tune of 139 yards. But it’s what Jacobs did in the red zone that was so impressive. He scored three touchdowns, including the game-winning score that put the team up by four points with under a minute left.
After the game, head coach Jon Gruden compared Jacobs’ performance to a vintage Walter Payton performance. While that praise seems high, Jacobs is quickly developing into one of the league’s best running backs. He’s able to handle massive workloads and only gets better as the games go on.
If the Raiders want to upset the Saints in Week 2, they are going to need Jacobs to continue to put on his Superman cape. Luckily for the Raiders, he has no problem putting the team on his back and carrying them to victory.
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