Raiders rally behind opportunistic Jacobs
LAS VEGAS — With the Raiders trailing by six at halftime Sunday, Josh Jacobs told the coaches to give him a chance to get into a rhythm, to make up for a lost fumble, and to put their trust in his running abilities. They obliged.
Jacobs ran for 57 yards on seven attempts on the Raiders’ opening drive of the second half, which went for 75 yards over nine plays. It ended with Peyton Barber’s five-yard touchdown run that gave Las Vegas the lead for good in a 17-13 victory over Denver.
Jacobs finished for 129 yards as the Raiders stayed relevant in the AFC playoff picture.
“Just give me a chance to play the style of ball that I want to play; the offensive line, we all came to an agreement and went out there and did it and executed,” said Jacobs, whose performance on the ground marked his first 100-yard rushing game of the season.
The Raiders (8-7) severely damaged the postseason chances for AFC West rival Denver (7-8), which dropped its third game in the last four. Dallas, meanwhile, clinched the NFC East thanks to the Las Vegas victory.
The Raiders have responded after a 2-5 stretch by winning two in a row, previously beating the Browns 16-14 in Cleveland on Monday. Las Vegas has held three of its last four opponents to 17 or fewer points.
“We’re seeing a team that has responded well to adversity, whether it’s before the game or whether it’s during the game,” Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia said.
Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr completed 20 of 25 passes for 201 yards with one touchdown and an interception. Carr completed at least one pass to all seven of his targets, led by Zay Jones, who had six receptions for 50 yards. Hunter Renfrow had three catches for 40 yards and one touchdown, while Foster Moreau and DeSean Jackson each had four receptions.
“They did a good job up front on us,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said. “We could never seem to get our backs through the first wave of the defensive line.”