Jacobs has become solid left hook for Raiders
The cows are still out there, but thanks to Josh Jacobs, at least they’re in the same area code.
When the Oakland Raiders traded Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears, Raiders coach Jon Gruden conceded, “This one will be debated until the cows come home.”
That quote was one of many lines which were used as a counter-punchline that Gruden endured during a 4-12 season after nine years in the ESPN broadcast booth.
Yet following a 24-21 win Sunday against the Chicago Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, the Raiders showed they have enough beef up front to make the season interesting.
In the aftermath of the biggest win of Gruden’s second tenure with the Raiders, Jacobs was cheerfully and modestly talking with reporters. Mack, who always considered talk secondary to action, declined comment.
The Raiders are 3-2, just like the Bears, and a game behind Kansas City in the AFC West. Jacobs rushed for 123 yards on 26 carries, exactly double the yardage (61.5) the Bears had been giving up against opponents through four games. Mack had three tackles and no sacks but did recover a gift fumble when Jacobs erred on a Derek Carr audible and didn’t realize a
pitch was coming his way.
Jacobs was selected with the No. 24 pick in the first round of the draft out of Alabama — one of the selections the Raiders acquired from the Bears when they determined Mack’s price for a long-term deal was too steep.
Not that Jacobs is keeping score.
“I’ll let the fans get into that. I’ll play how I do and I feel like my results speak for itself,” Jacobs said. “He’s a Hall of Fame player. I don’t feel like you can compare the two. Especially not right now, in my career. I’m just trying to come in and do my part.”
Jacobs has rushed for 430 yards, averaged 4.9 yards per carry and has four touchdowns in five games. He’s a favorite, admittedly early, for the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. Yet numbers don’t even begin to describe what Jacobs’ contribution has done for a Raiders team that can be brought up as a playoff contender without outright chortling and guffaws.
“We got tired of hearing how good their defense was,” Jacobs said. “They deserve that praise for how good they are. But we are good too and we wanted to let the world know we are.”
Before getting back to Jacobs, we pause for for a moment to recognize the men who made it possible. Through five games, it’s time to ease off Tom Cable, the occasionally maligned line
coach who caught flak in Seattle and again last season as the Raiders gave up 51 sacks.
The Raiders aren’t only running the ball. They’re doing it without spreading the field as they did in 2016 and with little or no element of surprise. They’re using a fullback and extra tight ends, winning in a phone booth, and running when teams know they’re going to run. All Jacobs needs is a crack to thrive.
“I get the best seat in the house,” Carr said after watching the Raiders rush for 164 yards on 39 carries. “I get to hand off and watch those guys work up close and personal. And it’s a lot of fun.”
Keep in mind the Raiders still haven’t had the services of guard Gabe Jackson, expected to return in Week 7 against Green
Bay following a bye. Richie Incognito missed the first two games on suspension. Jordan Devey, a starter for three weeks, was lost for the season with a torn pectoral muscle.
Left tackle Kolton Miller and right tackle Trent Brown dished out more than they got against the fearsome Bears defense. Mack spent much of the day as a rumor, albeit one that got lots of attention. Mostly, the Raiders took aim at a supposedly menacing Bears defense and ran it down their throat.
“We punched them in the mouth and they didn’t like it,” Incognito told reporters. “They were talking a bunch of trash that first drive. We came out that first drive, then punched them in the mouth and all that talk stopped.”