Passing is king in the NFL. If a team doesn’t have a strong passing attack combined with a top-end quarterback, they are nearly irrelevant in today’s NFL. However, we’ve seen that strong running games can still allow teams to win a ton of games.
Over the last few seasons, Jon Gruden has tried to improve the rushing attack for the Raiders. On top of adding a few mauling offensive linemen, he also selected Josh Jacobs at No. 24 in the 2019 NFL draft. But now, Jacobs finally has a top-end counterpart when he needs to come off the field.
In a recent article by Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report, he named the one thing we learned about every team this offseason. For the Raiders, it’s that they should have a dominant rushing attack after the addition of Kenyan Drake and Alex Leatherwood.
Here is what Knox had to say about the team’s backfield entering the 2021 season:
“Pairing Drake, who had 955 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns last season, with Jacobs should give Las Vegas a deadly duo on the ground. This may allow the Raiders to be even more run-heavy than they were a year ago.
The Raiders also have talented receiving backs Jalen Richard and Theo Riddick, who add versatility to a backfield that should be one of the league’s best in 2021.”
The goal for the Raiders this year isn’t to be the league’s highest-scoring offense, but the most efficient. They want to run the ball with their two star backs and lean on Darren Waller in the passing game. If they can play at a slow pace and keep the defense off the field, they should have a chance to win double-digit games this season.
Look for the Raiders to have one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL considering all of the resources the team has devoted to that phase of the game.
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