The Las Vegas Raiders may not have their starting running back for their Week 1 Monday night showdown against the Baltimore Ravens. On Sunday night, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reported that Josh Jacobs had been downgraded to questionable due to an illness.
Jacobs was a limited participant in practice all week due to what was called a toe injury and an illness. Apparently, he has not recovered enough just yet for the Raiders to feel confident about him suiting up. The former No. 24 overall pick out of Alabama made his first Pro Bowl in 2020, as he rushed for 1,065 yards and 12 touchdowns on 273 carries. If Jacobs were not able to suit up on Monday night, expect free-agent addition Kenyan Drake to get the start.
The former Arizona Cardinal rushed for 955 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging four yards per carry last season. While he caught just 25 passes for 137 yards last season, he has the kind of versatility to be a legitimate dual-threat weapon out of the backfield.
It was the Ravens who were initially facing issues at running back, as Lamar Jackson’s top three ball-carriers in J.K. Dobbins, Justice Hill and Gus Edwards went down with season-ending injuries. Now, the Raiders have a situation to keep an eye on as we approach kickoff.
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