Josh Jacobs had a fantastic rookie season, racking up over 1000 yards and seven touchdowns, but one has to wonder if he will fall victim to the dreaded sophomore slump in 2020.
Keep in mind that this is the same guy who ranked in the top-ten running backs in the NFL and helped contribute to several critical drives for the time. If nothing else, this is a guy who the Raiders need to come strong out of the gate. Think about it! If Jacobs isn’t able to match what he did in 2019, the offense will be forced into a one-dimensional passing game. Not only does that force the team to rely on Carr’s consistency, which isn’t always a safe bet, it also creates a situation where the team’s strategy becomes incredibly one-note and ineffective.
For example, in the Kansas City Chiefs 18-point victory over the Raiders in week two, Jacobs was held to under 100 yards and no touchdowns. For comparison, let’s look at their week two matchup against the Broncos, where they won 24-16. Jacobs had two touchdowns in that game and rushed for 85 yards that game.
Now, this doesn’t mean that Jacobs is the defacto key to winning games, but the likelihood of the Raiders winning increases when he has a good day. Maybe that has to do with how he helps make the offense multi-dimensional, or it could just be dumb luck against random teams, but the raiders seem to do well when Jacobs does well.
That said, and the curse of the sophomore slump looming around Jacobs like a dark cloud, one wonders how he will overcome this.
One man doesn’t make the offense, and that’s not the point I’m making, but Jacobs is a critical part of this offense.
