One week back and a heavy workload for Josh Jacobs and now it’s back on the shelf for Raider’s rookie phenom running back. He will be sat down for the Raiders game in Los Angeles against the Chargers.
“I don’t believe Josh [Jacobs] will play this week,” Head coach Jon Gruden said Wednesday. “We’ll hold out hope that he can play [in the season finale] against Denver.”
The Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite injured his shoulder injury in week seven against the Packers and has been taking pain injections each week to be able to play. He got 26 touches last week, which was his third most of the season.
Gruden also announced the team was shutting down right tackle Trent Brown who missed the past two weeks with a pectoral injury. Brown was named to the Pro Bowl this week, his first-ever.
Monday Gruden was asked about whether he might shut down Jacobs and Brown the rest of the season and was either holding out hope they could play or trying not to tip his hand on the team’s plans for them.
“When these guys can play, we’re going to play them,” Gruden said Monday. “We’re trying to win and we need them to win, but obviously we are going to do right by the player and do what the training staff says and right now it does appear Trent is going to play, although we are going to list him as questionable. And we’ll do the same right now with Jacobs.”
Two days later and both players are out. Brown for the season and Jacobs at least this week and potentially the final two weeks.
The Raiders are sitting at 6-8 right now. They aren’t mathematically out of the playoffs yet, but the odds are very long, and the decisions to sit these two could be an indication of that.
Newly signed running back Rod Smith will join DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard in attempting to fill in for Jacobs.
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