Even with an injured shoulder, Josh Jacobs suited up and gave his best for the Raiders Sunday.
In a disappointing loss in front of their Oakland fans for the final time, the Raiders gave up 17 unanswered points in the second half – erasing a 16-3 lead at halftime – to lose 20-16 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was the fourth straight loss for Jon Gruden’s team, dropping its record to 6-8.
It was an ugly day for the Raiders, who not only lost in their home finale, but heard boos from crushed fans at the end of the day, as the team prepares to pull up stakes for Las Vegas next season.
But even against that bigger backdrop, Jacobs continues to show he’s evolving into one of the NFL’s top running backs in his rookie season.
Jacobs carried 24 times for 89 yards and had two catches for 20 yards – giving him 100-plus yards from scrimmage, the ninth time he’s done that in 2019.
Jacobs missed last week’s game with his shoulder problem and couldn’t practice earlier last week, but got a high-volume of work against the Jaguars.
Jacobs told reporters he’d asked to play against Tennessee the previous week, but coaches said no. He got his wish against the Jaguars because he’s been told he won’t need surgery and he couldn’t stand watching from the sideline again.
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“It’s football, you know what I’m saying,” he said Sunday after the loss. “Like, you can say it can’t get worse, but then anything can happen. You never know, but I know it’s something I won’t need to have surgery on, so that’s a positive note.”
Jacobs has a good shot at being selected NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He ranks sixth in the league in rushing with 1,150 yards, a 4.8-yard average and seven touchdowns, and has 20 catches for 166 yards. And, with all those touches and hits, he’s lost just one fumble.
Said Gruden after Jacobs’ performance: “Jacobs is the real deal, and he’s going to get better.”
Jacobs has described his injury as a shoulder fracture, and has taken shots for the pain. He says he’s committed to continue contributing, even with the playoffs out of the picture.
“Just trying to finish off strong on a high note to the point where we want to start off next year and go into the offseason working on it and things like that,” said Jacobs, going into the Jacksonville game.
The Raiders this Sunday travel south to take on the Los Angeles Chargers. Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m.
