Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Josh Jacobs showing off receiving chops in second year

Raiders at Panthers

Brian Blanco / Associated Press

Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (28) celebrates after scoring during the second half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, in Charlotte, N.C.

Josh Jacobs created a bit of a stir in training camp when he proclaimed that one of his goals for the 2020 season was to catch 60 passes. It seemed like a lofty benchmark for the second-year running back at the time, as he had just 20 catches as a rookie, but after one week Jacobs is looking downright prescient.

Jacobs ran for three touchdowns in Las Vegas’ win at Carolina on Sunday, but the most encouraging aspect of his performance may have been his contribution in the passing game, as he caught four passes for 46 yards. Two of Jacobs’ catches moved the chains for first downs. Add that to his nine first downs rushing and he was responsible for 11 of the Raiders’ 23 total first downs.

After the game, Jacobs reiterated how much emphasis he put on that aspect of his game over the offseason and credited head coach Jon Gruden for incorporating it into the game plan in Week 1.

“That’s the thing I worked on the most coming into this season,” Jacobs said. “Just trying to build my different routes, whether it’s stemming them or stacking it, or knowing its certain leverages or things like that. That’s the thing I tried to build on the most. So just to see that [Gruden] had confidence in me is huge for me.”

One play in particular stood out as an example of Jacobs’ improvement as a receiving option. Three of his catches were run of the mill dump-offs and swing passes, with Jacobs basically standing stationary as a last resort check-down option for Derek Carr, but on a second-and-14 in the second quarter Jacobs flashed much more than that.

On this play, Jacobs angles out of the backfield and runs an actual route against a linebacker in one-on-one coverage. It appears to be an option route, with Jacobs determining on the fly whether to take it outside or inside; he gives the linebacker a hard juke to the outside, then cuts inside where Carr hits him in stride:

Considering Jacobs’ speed and change-of-direction skills, that should be a mismatch. It wasn’t last year, but route-running requires some nuance and timing, and it looks like Jacobs has acquired those skills over the offseason. That enables him to dust the linebacker — with ease — and give Carr a huge window for an easy completion. Moving the chains on a second-and-14 is tough, but Jacobs managed it on that play.

And why is it so important to get Jacobs involved in the passing game? The answer to that question is evident after he secures the catch. Carolina safety Tre Boston comes in at a good angle to make the tackle and stop Jacobs for an 11-yard gain. That would have set up a third-and-3 and given the Panthers another chance to get a stop. Instead, Jacobs steps out of the tackle and scampers for 18 additional yards, picking up the first down and getting Las Vegas into field goal range.

Jacobs is a terror to bring down in the open field. According to Pro Football Focus he broke 12 tackles on Sunday alone, more than any other running back in the league; he also led NFL backs by forcing 69 missed tackles last season as a rookie. Getting Jacobs more touches in space makes the Raiders’ offense exponentially more dangerous, and it’s generally easier to get him those opportunities in the passing game than it is by handing him the ball in the backfield.

Jacobs is well aware of the amount of damage he can potentially do after the catch. 

"A lot of times when I play receiver, I get a lot more chances to be in open space, so that’s always fun,” he said. 

So, can Jacobs get to 60 catches this year? Only seven running backs topped that number last year — Christian McCaffrey (116 receptions), Austin Ekeler (92), Alvin Kamara (81), Tarik Cohen (79), Leonard Fournette (76), James White (72) and Le’Veon Bell (66) — but Jacobs’ four snags currently have him on pace for 64.

It’s more about quality than quantity, however. If Jacobs can continue to win his matchups in open space and produce chunk plays, he can take his game — and the Raiders offense — to a new level.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

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