“It’s good for backs to carry the ball in the preseason” – Raiders HC McDaniels on starting Josh Jacobs in the HOF match

The Raiders vs Jaguars Hall of Fame matchup kicked off the NFL preseason schedule along with the weekend of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions. Las Vegas registered an easy 27-11 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Both the teams had rested their starting quarterbacks, Derek Carr, and Trevor Lawrence.

Most of the key players are exempted from playing in the HOF game due to the risk of impending injury. However, the Raiders shocked everyone as all of their top running backs saw action on Thursday. Jarrett Stidham, Nick Mullen, and Chase Garbers were the passers for the Raiders whereas Kyle Sloter and Jake Luton started the game for the Jaguars.

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The Raiders declined the fifth-year option for Josh Jacobs

Josh McDaniels the newly appointed head coach of the Raiders had a different strategy for the impending season as he allowed his top RBs to star in the HOF game against the Jaguars. Josh Jacobs, the 24th overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft started multiple snaps in the preseason game. Most head coaches rest their key players and do not risk injury before the actual season starts in September. However, McDaniels believes it is beneficial for the running backs to get into momentum as early as possible.

“I always think it’s good for backs to carry the ball in the preseason,” McDaniels said. “There’s a lot of things that happen when you’re getting tackled and hit that you can’t simulate in practice. I think all our guys had the ball tonight. I think all our guys either caught it or were handed the ball and had to get tackled. We can’t really simulate that or rep that in practice.”

Josh Jacobs, 24, has been a crucial part of the Raiders’ RB core. During his three years in Las Vegas, he has had two 1000-yard seasons and has been nominated to the Pro Bowl in 2020. Jacobs had 5 carries for 30 yards along with two catches for 14 yards. This is a lot of practice for a star running back. However, it is important to note that despite being productive every season, the Raiders have declined the fifth-year option on Jacobs’ contract which will make him a free agent after the end of the 2022 season.

Not only Jacobs but veteran RBs Kenyan Drake and Ameer Abdullah also battled it out on Thursday. 2022 fourth-round pick Zamir White also proved to be instrumental in the matchup against the Jaguars. All in all, the Raiders running game looked pretty strong as they totaled 159 yards and three TDs on 33 attempts. Let’s see how coach Mcdaniels’ strategy works out for the Raiders in the 2022 season.

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