Oakland Raiders: Rookie RB Josh Jacobs looks tremendous in debut

Oakland Raiders rookie running back Josh Jacobs dazzles in his NFL debut.

The Oakland Raiders put the Antonio Brown drama behind them on Monday night and simply took care of business. In the final game of the 2019 NFL Week 1 slate, the Raiders took care of business against the Denver Broncos, walking away with a 24-16 victory on Monday night.

There were many impact performers for the Raiders on both sides of the ball, but rookie running back Josh Jacobs stood out with an impressive debut performance. On the night, Jacobs carried the ball 23 times for 85 yards and two touchdowns. He also made a big play in the passing game, catching the ball on the only pass thrown his way and taking it for 28 yards. This came against a tough Broncos defense who many consider being among the best in the entire NFL.

On Monday night, Jacobs proved that he was a worthy first-round selection for the Raiders in the 2019 NFL Draft and appears primed for a fantastic debut season.

According to ESPN, Jacobs is the first player since 2001 to have 100 yards from scrimmage and two rushing touchdowns in his NFL debut. The last player to reach numbers in their first NFL game? Chargers legend and Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson.

Simply put, Jacobs had a debut to remember and appears to be primed to be the workhorse for the Raiders in 2019. The Raiders carried the ball 28 times on Monday night, with Jacobs taking 23 of those carries. As clearly the most talented back on the roster, I fully expect to see this kind of usage out of Jacobs going forward.

In fact, he probably went a bit under-utilized as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. Jacobs was a strong runner in college, but his ability to also make plays as a receiver is what separated him from the rest of his draft class. Jacobs can be a strong asset for the Oakland Raiders in the passing game and I expect them to take advantage of that going forward.

If his first game is any sort of indication, the Raiders have clearly found a talented back who they can feature in their offense. Expect his usage to continue to grow going forward as the Raiders make the most out of their talented back.