Sometimes, even the best players have off days.
Josh Jacobs learned this hard in the Las Vegas Raiders‘ Week 2 matchup with the Buffalo Bills.
During this game, Jacobs had -2 rushing yards on nine total attempts.
According to FOX Sports NFL, this is the lowest single-game total for the prior season’s rushing leader since the 1970 merger.
Josh Jacobs finished with -2 rushing yards on 9 rushes today. This is the first time since the merger (1970) that a reigning NFL rushing champion finished a game with negative rushing yards. pic.twitter.com/PjLtGZ2LJP
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 17, 2023
It was also the first time the reigning rushing champion had negative rushing yards for a complete game.
One part of Jacobs’ inability to rush for positive yardage was a lack of usage in this game.
His nine carries were the lowest in a single game since 2021, a sign that the Raiders didn’t try to rely on him much.
While Jacobs struggled throughout this game, he wasn’t the only one on his team with a tough day.
The Raiders lost 38-10 after being unable to get much going on offense.
Their offensive line was under constant pressure all day, evidenced by Jacobs’ career-low rushing line.
Jimmy Garoppolo was also under duress, throwing two interceptions and totaling less than 200 passing yards.
With everything in mind, Jacobs will hope to bounce back next week, even though he has a difficult matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Players of Jacobs’ caliber tend to shine after a rough game, especially considering the rushing numbers he achieved last year.
The Raiders are now 1-1 to begin the year and have several difficult matchups coming up.
If Jacobs and Garoppolo can perform to their typical standards in the weeks to come, the Raiders should be just fine moving forward.
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