Josh Jacobs injury not looking promising for Raiders

The Raiders could be without the leading rusher Sunday against the Jets’ defense. 

Sitting at 6-5, the Las Vegas Raiders would be a playoff contender in just about any other season. The 2020 season, though, is packed with competitive action, primarily in the AFC race for the final seven spots.

The Raiders are coming off a horrendous 43-6 loss against Atlanta on the road. They’ll head back to the east coast for the third time this season to face the winless Jets in MetLife come Sunday afternoon.

However, one essential part of Jon Gruden’s offense might not be cleared for takeoff before a must-win game.

Running back Josh Jacobs missed his second straight practice after dealing with a sprained ankle suffered in Week 12. The team’s former first-round pick entered Sunday’s game with a lingering hip injury and looked hesitant running behind the Raiders’ stout offensive line.

He finished the day grabbing 27 yards on seven carries, averaging 3.9 yards per run.

How important is Jacobs to the Raiders offense?

Gruden admitted earlier this week that Jacobs clearly was not himself when rushing the ball on Sunday afternoon down in Atlanta.

“I don’t think he was 100 percent [Sunday],” Gruden told reporters. “I think he tried to fight through it.”

Jacobs is building off an impressive rookie campaign in 2019 in which he finished with 1,150 yards and seven touchdowns while also tacking on another 186 as a receiving option. Through 11 games, Jacobs has collected 782 yards on 206 carries to go along with nine touchdowns.

Devontae Booker will likely see a bulk of the carries against gang green’s surprisingly talented top-12 run defense. However, Gruden is hopeful third-down runner Jalen Richard can return to action after missing last week with an illness.

The race for the final wild card spot is growing tighter by the second. Currently, the Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts all would be heading to the postseason while Las Vegas’ back-to-back losses would keep them cemented as the No.8 spot.

On top of that, the Raiders have games against both Indianapolis and Miami to close out the season. Those two games will factor into the final projections for the conference.

Las Vegas should rely heavily on the pass since Adam Gase’s secondary is looking lost in coverage. Jacobs resting isn’t the worst plan. but anything less than a Week 13 inactive could be detrimental to the Raiders’ success in making it back to the postseason for the first time since 2016.