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Raiders-Pats 7

Steven Senne / Associated Press

New England Patriots defensive back Adrian Phillips, top, tackles Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass.

Foxborough, Mass. — 

Josh Jacobs didn’t play well in Sunday’s loss at New England. He wasn’t terrible, but he wasn’t particularly good, either. And at this point in their rebuild, the Raiders aren’t equipped to survive that.

It’s a testament to how good Jacobs has been since being selected in the first round of the 2019 draft that he has become such an integral part of the offense. But more importantly, it’s a responsibility. When Jacobs is just OK — like on Sunday, when he ran for 71 yards on 16 carries with a lost fumble and no touchdowns — the team suffers.

Jacobs most glaring miscue came toward the end of the first quarter when he put the ball on the ground to end a promising Raiders drive. In a scoreless game, Las Vegas had a 1st-and-10 from the New England 12-yard line; Jacobs took a handoff, bounced off left tackle had the ball knocked out from behind by Shilique Calhoun. Though on replay it appeared as though Jacobs might have recovered his own fumble, New England was granted possession.

While it didn’t lead directly to Patriots points, it cost Las Vegas a prime scoring opportunity at a time when the game was still up for grabs.

Jacobs, who only fumbled once in his rookie season, said he moved on from the play quickly but acknowledged that he can’t make that mistake again.

“I think about it more after the game,” Jacobs said. “During the game, I just go to the next play. I play the next play and try to give all my effort each play. This week I am going to come in and practice and just make sure I over-emphasize protecting the ball. It is definitely a learning experience.”

Some of Jacobs’ depressed production on Sunday could probably be attributed to the Raiders’ injury woes. Starting linemen Trent Brown and Richie Incognito missed the game, as did speedy receiver Henry Ruggs; those absences allowed New England to key on Jacobs (and tight end Darren Waller).

But when you’re a star player — a franchise cornerstone, like Jacobs — there are no excuses.

As New England stretched out its lead in the second half, the Raiders shifted to the passing game. That left Jacobs on the outside looking in; though he has put in work to become a more viable receiver, he’s still more of a safety-valve option. On Sunday, he caught four passes for just nine yards.

After touching the ball 29 times in Week 1 and 30 times in Week 2 (both wins), Jacobs got his hands on it just 20 times against New England.

Like all backs, Jacobs wants the ball, but he understood why the Raiders had to go away from the ground game on Sunday.

“In critical moments, of course me being the type of player I am, I want the ball,” Jacobs said. “But I’m definitely not a selfish player. That wasn’t the scheme for us, exactly. We kind of got behind and had to pass more. That’s just the way the game played out.”

Now the Raiders sit at 2-1 with a tough, undefeated Buffalo Bills squad coming to town in Week 4. If Jacobs bounces back and plays to the high standard he has set, Las Vegas has a chance. If not…well, we got a glimpse of what that looks like for the Raiders on Sunday.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

Article written by #LasVegasSun

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