Josh Jacobs has been on a tear in his rookie season with the Oakland Raiders and there's no sign of him slowing down anytime soon. Jacobs will continue his impressive stretch against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10.
Before training camps began, Jon Gruden was very adamant that Jacobs could easily be the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year. There's no doubt that the rookie rusher has etched his name into the discussion thus far.
Through the first nine weeks, Jacobs has rushed for 740 yards on 152 carries and has gotten into the end zone six times. In addition, he has also caught 11 passes for 102 yards as a receiver out of the backfield.
Without a doubt, Oakland is thankful that they used the 24th overall pick in this year's draft. Jacobs will show exactly why on Thursday night versus the Chargers.
In his past four games, Jacobs has eclipsed 120 rushing yards three times and has scored four touchdowns. There aren't many running backs in the NFL who are as hot as him right now.
This past week, Los Angeles did a remarkable job slowing down the rushing attack of the Green Bay Packers. The Chargers were able to contain Aaron Jones to 29 yards from scrimmage on nine touches in Week 9.
As a result, the Chargers defeated the Packers 26-11 in the most surprising upset of the week. Despite being able to hold Jones in check, Los Angeles won't be able to do the same against the Raiders.
On Sunday, the Packers tried to run outside of the tackles on zone-running plays. But of course, that is exactly where the Chargers are strongest on their defense with Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram coming off of the edge.
On the other hand, the Raiders tend to run the majority of their run plays right up the middle behind the center. As a matter of fact, 22 percent of their rushing plays have been behind the center.
Therefore, unlike Green Bay, Oakland can attack the Chargers where they are weak on their defense. Additionally, the Raiders have one of the most dominant offensive lines in the NFL.
Up to this point, Josh Jacobs and the Raiders have only been stuffed (a rushing play that goes for zero or negative yards) on 12 percent of their runs. That is the second-best mark in the NFL only behind the Dallas Cowboys.
The talent of Jacobs coupled with the Raiders' formidable offensive line is why the first-year back out of Alabama will have another big-time performance against the Chargers on Thursday.
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