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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Levi Damien

Raiders RB Josh Jacobs not just having All Pro season but an All-time season

Just when I think I have used plenty of superlatives to describe what Josh Jacobs is doing this season, he forces me to find some more. I think I’ve run out at this point. He’s simply playing on another level we’ve not seen from him before. And have rarely ever seen.

He is seeing the field at a six-sense level. Surveying his blocking and the angles of the defenders, finding even the smallest creases, and making the perfect cuts to get past the first level.

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Then once a defender makes first contact, he shows off his tackle-breaking abilities in a myriad of ways. Whether it’s a juke, a stiff arm, a spin move, or otherwise. And even when a defender has him wrapped up, he drives through the tackle to grind for additional yards before going down.

The results are showing up in the numbers he’s putting up.

First and foremost, he leads the NFL in rushing. And it’s not close.

He has 1303 yards rushing. The next most is Nick Chubb with 1119. A difference of 184 yards.

Jacobs also leads the league in yards from scrimmage.

He has 1634 yards. A full 225 yards ahead of runner-up Tyreek Hill with 1409 yards.

His 29.8 first down percentage leads all running backs with at least 50 carries.

And his 10 rushing touchdowns is currently third in the league behind only Jamaal Williams (14) and Nick Chubb (12).

All these stats put Jacobs squarely in the top spot in terms of the All Pro conversation. Of that there is no question.

The next question is where it lands Jacobs in Raiders history. Where Marcus Allen is king of the hill. Josh Jacobs is knocking down several of Allen’s records and knocking on the door for others.

Midway through Sunday’s game, with Allen in attendance along with a few other Raiders Hall of Famers for Cliff Branch’s memorial, Jacobs broke Allen’s mark for most rushing yards in the first 12 games of a season.

With his 10th touchdown in the game, he joined or surpassed Allen in several other statistical categories as well.

 

Now with him leading the league this season, and on pace to shatter several of Marcus Allen’s Raiders records, the question turns to how Jacobs’s season compares to all time numbers. For that some Hall of Fame names come up.

This bears reiterating. The list of players to have had overall numbers like this over the first 12 games is Walter Payton, OJ Simpson, Jim Brown, and JOSH JACOBS.

That’s it. That’s the list.

With six games over 100 yards this season, including each of the past three weeks, there’s every reason to believe Jacobs will continue on his current all-time pace. And his performances have proven to correlate to winning for the Raiders, so that could spell good news for the team as well.

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