Raiders RB Josh Jacobs dominates Texans, makes case for extension
By Ben Arthur
FOX Sports AFC South Writer
The hype that filled the Las Vegas Raiders' offseason revolved around their trio of receiving threats.
In a blockbuster trade with the Green Bay Packers, the Raiders in March acquired All-Pro receiver Davante Adams to pair with star tight end Darren Waller and standout receiver Hunter Renfrow. On paper, it's a pick-your-poison dilemma for opposing secondaries.
But running back Josh Jacobs has been their top playmaker to start the season. And he was the engine behind their second victory of the year.
"We stopped beating ourselves and we just executed," said quarterback Derek Carr.
Jacobs had 20 carries for 143 yards and three touchdowns to power the Raiders (2-4) to a 38-20 win over the Houston Texans (1-4-1) Sunday at Allegiant Stadium. It marked Las Vegas' second victory in three games after beginning the season 0-3.
The Raiders scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. It started with Jacobs, who had 98 rushing yards in the second half, wearing out a Texans defense that entered the game third-worst in the league at stopping the run. He crushed Houston without a gain longer than 15 yards.
After the Texans retook the lead at 20-17 with 3:14 left in the third quarter, Jacobs on the ensuing possession had a 12-yard run that set up the Raiders just outside the red zone. He later punched in the touchdown from seven yards out to put Vegas up 24-20.
Jacobs continued to dominate on the next Raiders' drive. He opened the series with a 12-yard run. Two plays later, he had a 13-yard run. The Las Vegas possession was capped with Jacob's 15-yard touchdown run. He accounted for 40 of the 81 yards on the scoring drive.
Jacobs has now run for more than 140 yards in three straight games. In that span, he has 523 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns, making his case for a big-money extension with the Raiders, who declined the fifth-year option in his rookie contract in the spring.
Jacobs broke Marcus Allen's Raiders franchise record for the most rushing yards in a player's first 50 games, according to CBS.
"Josh is one of the best backs in the league," said Carr, who completed 21 of 27 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown.
Adams (eight receptions for 95 yards) also had a big game Sunday for the Raiders, but their defense stepped up, too.
Texans quarterback Davis Mills was having his best game of the season until he was intercepted by Raiders safety Duron Harmon for a 73-yard pick-six, essentially sealing the game at 38-20 with 3:39 left. That was the only turnover of the game.
The Raiders only sacked Mills once, but they had nine quarterback hits, a big step forward for a pass rush that has struggled generating consistent pressure beyond Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby. The Texans were held to 1-of-3 in the red zone.
Entering Sunday, the Raiders biggest issue was finishing games. All four of their losses have come by six or fewer points.
They finished against the Texans. The game didn't come down to a score, of course. But in a seesaw affair that saw four lead changes and was a four-point contest early in the fourth quarter, the Raiders found a way to win.
That's something to build on.
"Teams are going to have to defend the run," said Carr. "We have weapons. We don't even have all of them right now. And if they want to defend that, Josh is doing a great job with the O-line. … There are things to correct, but if we can execute at that type of clip and at that type of level, it will be good for us going forward.
"We want to be a balanced football team," he continued. "We don't care if we throw for 5,000 yards or if we rush for 2,000 yards. We don't care if we're in the middle. We just want to win football games."
Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.