Josh Jacobs is coming off arguably the worst game of his career. He was held to -2 rushing yards on nine carries as the Bills dominated the line of scrimmage on Sunday. But could this be the week that the NFL’s leading rusher from a year ago finally gets back on track?
In a recent article by Brooke Pryor of ESPN, she gave a bold prediction for Week 3 that included Jacobs having a big bounce-back game against the Steelers. Here is a snippet of what she had to say about the All-Pro running back heading into Sunday Night Football:
Buy Raiders TicketsJosh Jacobs gets his first 100-yard rushing game of the season. Jacobs averaged nearly 100 yards a game last season, so this prediction doesn’t seem that bold.
However, in the Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Jacobs had minus-2 rushing yards on nine attempts after just 48 yards a week earlier. Jacobs gets back on track this week against the Steelers, who have allowed the most rush yards over expected (plus-144) of any defense through Week 2 since 2018, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
The Steelers will be without Cameron Heyward in Week 3, who was placed on the injured reserve list after Week 1 due to a groin injury. That is a major loss for their run defense and it’s one of the reasons why Jacobs could have a big day.
However, expect Mike Tomlin and his defense to load up the box and dare Jimmy Garoppolo to beat them through the air. But this still has a chance to be a big day for Jacobs as the Steelers have allowed over 300 yards on the ground through two weeks.
