Raiders RB Josh Jacobs ranks among league-worst in yards per carry

Yards per carry is one of the noisiest stats in football. Generally, that is most evaluate a running back is looking at their rushing yards and their yards per rush to determine their efficiency.

However, there is a lot that can determine a running back’s yard per carry, such as the number of defenders in the box, offensive personnel, situation etc. If a running back is only running against eight and nine-man fronts, of course, his yards per carry is going to be lower than a back who is seeing six and seven-man boxes.

Yards per carry really show more about the offensive line rather than the running back. Unfortunately for the Raiders, we know the offensive line has struggled this season.

In a recent game prediction piece by ESPN, the site offered up this concerning stat about Josh Jacobs:

As a rookie, Jacobs averaged 4.8 yards per carry. In 2020, that dropped to 3.9. Now? 3.2. Is there a chance that Jacobs just isn’t playing as well as he did when he was a rookie? Sure. He has dealt with a number of injuries this year and in the past, but looks explosive and still runs hard.

But considering all of the other running backs on the roster are struggling to be efficient suggests a bigger problem with the team. It’s pretty clear that the lackluster offensive line is holding Jacobs back from being a Pro Bowl back rather than him falling off as a player.

Can the Raiders and Josh Jacobs get back on track in Week 6 against the Broncos? It’s certainly possible as they just allowed Najee Harris to run for over 100 yards in Week 5. Look for the Raiders to try to establish the run with Jacobs in this big AFC West battle.

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