For the most part, it was a good bye week for the Raiders. The Chiefs and the Broncos lost, which keeps them in the hunt in the AFC West. Other contenders such as the Ravens, Browns, Jaguars, and Dolphins all lost in Week 6, leaving the Wild Card door open.
However, that wasn’t enough for the Raiders to move up in ESPN’s power rankings after Week 6. They fell one spot to No. 27, but the good news is that there is a lot to be excited about with this team over the next few months.
One of those things is the play of Josh Jacobs, who is having an All-Pro caliber season. Here is what Paul Gutierrez of ESPN had to say about the former first-round pick and his performance this year:
“We thought the Raiders might employ a running back-by-committee approach. Instead, Josh Jacobs is the unquestioned lead back. Jacobs, who did not have his fifth-year option picked up, was third in the NFL with 490 rushing yards entering the Raiders’ bye week.
He had accounted for 91.1% of the yards picked up on the ground by Raiders’ RBs, 82.6% of the total offensive yards gained by Las Vegas’ backs. Yeah, it sure seems Jacobs wants a new contract.”
If the Raiders are going to get back in the playoff hunt, they’ll need Jacobs to continue to shoulder the load on offense. When they can stay balanced, they are among the best offenses in the NFL.
Look for Jacobs to continue to see a ton of work over the next few months as the Raiders try to claw back into playoff contention.
