Through three games of the 2020 season, Josh Jacobs doesn’t quite have the “counting” stats that many fans have expected from the former first-round pick. Jacobs has yet to rush for 100 yards in a game yet this season and is only averaging 3.7 yards per attempt.
But this is a great example of why counting stats don’t account for how dominant a running back is or has been. Not only has Jacobs been forced to play behind a shaky offensive line, but 43 of his 68 rushing attempts (63%) have come with seven or more defenders in the box, according to SportRadar.com.
What is even more impressive is how good Jacobs has been at forcing missed tackles and creating yards after contact. According to Pro Football Focus, no player in the NFL has forced more missed tackles than Jacobs (18) this season.
Josh Jacobs: 18 missed tackles forced on runs this season (1st) pic.twitter.com/uFsxunPvAu
— PFF (@PFF) October 3, 2020
According to Pro Football Reference, 133 of Jacobs’ 268 rushing yards this season have come after contact. He’s the complete package as he can make defenders miss and he can run through contact for extra yardage.
Jacobs is going to have his hands full on Sunday as he will face a stout Buffalo defense up front. The Raiders will need him to create and grind out yardage in order for the team to survive without their top two receivers. Look for the stud running back to receive a huge workload in that contest to potentially help the Raiders get to 3-1 on the season.
