Film Reveals Key Player to Broncos Limiting Raiders RB Josh Jacobs
Coming into the 2023 season, the Denver Broncos had lost six straight consecutive games against the Las Vegas Raiders. One of the bigger factors in those six losses was Denver's inability to stop Raiders running back Josh Jacobs from tearing them apart in the running game.
In fact, the Broncos had never beaten a Raiders team that featured Jacobs. In his career, Jacobs had rushed for 721 yards and nine touchdowns in seven games against the Broncos, with three consecutive 100-yard games under his belt as he walked into Mile High Stadium this past Sunday afternoon.
With that knowledge, the Broncos did everything they could possibly do to limit Jacobs' effectiveness in an attempt to end their losing streak. Despite losing another close game to their division foe, the Broncos held Jacobs to the worst statistical output of his career against them, limiting him to 48 yards on 19 total carries, with 11 of those yards coming on the final drive to close out the game.
One of the biggest factors in stopping Jacobs came from the incredible performance of Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton, especially in the first half. What Singleton was able to do on the first drive was an absolute masterclass of run-stopping technique, vision, and awareness.
Let's examine some of the All-22 tape.
Play 1
Situation: 2nd-&-9 | 21-yard line | First Quarter
Our first play shows the stack and shed ability of Singleton while using perfect technique to keep the offensive lineman out of his chest plate. The Raiders run inside zone on this play, with the center double-teaming DT Mike Purcell at the point of attack, then extending to dig Singleton at the second level.
Singleton attacks the lineman with a solid base, extends his right arm to keep separation, and then gets his eyes into the backfield. He sheds the block and makes a good form tackle in what was originally the B-gap.
On inside zone running plays, the center is supposed to attach to the linebacker early to allow the running back an easy read and direction to run. With Singleton forcing the issue and beating the center to the punch, combined with a great diagnosis by Essang Bassey from the nickel cornerback position, this play was dead before it really even got started.
Play 2
Situation: 1st-&-Goal | 5-yard line | First Quarter
Here Singleton flashes his high football awareness and diagnosis ability, as well as a very athletic play to scrape across three gaps to make a play. At the beginning of the play, he immediately sees the left guard pulling on a trap block to the strong side of the formation.
With Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo not on the field due to an injury a couple of plays prior, combined with the down-and-distance situation, Singleton keys quickly on the run and slides across three gaps to fill from the back side of the play.
This is a heads-up play by Singleton, because Josey Jewell gets washed out by the pulling guard, and Justin Simmons gets destroyed by Jakobi Meyers on a crack block. This play could easily have been a touchdown for the Raiders offense.
Play 3
Situation: 2nd-&-Goal | 3-yard line | First Quarter
On the very next play, Singleton shows his awareness and diagnosing ability once again to make an incredible play on the edge to force a third down. The Raiders bring a pulling guard on a trap block here, as well as a tight end in pure power football on the goal line. Singleton’s eyes tell the whole tale, and his technique is incredible when he reads his keys.
Singleton is lined up over the A-gap on this play, but when he sees the guard pull to his side of the field, he knows he has gap replacement on the edge and steps forward toward that side. When his eyes move back to his left and sees the tight end coming for him to kick him outside, Singleton takes another step forward to reset the edge and make the play in the C-gap.
This is absolutely textbook linebacker play. Jonathon Cooper also deserves a lot of praise for holding up the initial pulling guard enough for Singleton to reset the edge on the outside and free him up to make the play.
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