Drake Steps Up for Raiders With Jacobs Ailing
Josh Jacobs has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his first two NFL seasons, but the Pro Bowl running back of the Las Vegas Raiders is not even close to that pace this year because he has been slowed and missed some playing time because of injuries.
So the Raiders simply have plugged in veteran Kenyan Drake, who signed as a free agent with the Silver and Black in March.
“That’s really my dog,” Jacobs joked about his friend Drake, as they both played at Alabama and have worked out together often during the offseason. “I tell them, I don’t want this to be a one-man show. My body doesn’t want this to be a one-man show, you feel me?
“So I tell them to incorporate him. Just to see him have success and have him kind of coming into his role on the team has been huge.”
Jacobs, who has only 204 yards in five games, sustained a chest injury while running eight yards for a touchdown to put Las Vegas ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles for good, 14-7, with 1:38 left in the first half last Sunday in a 32-22 victory, and missed the rest of the game.
Drake stepped in and led the Raiders with 69 yards rushing on 14 carries, including a four-yard touchdown run that made it 24-7 in the third quarter, in addition to catching three passes for only 10 yards.
That gave the Raiders (5-2) some balance on offense, with quarterback Derek Carr passing for 323 yards and two touchdowns.
“We have a number of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball at a number of different positions, and certainly Kenyan is one of them,” said offensive coordinator Greg Olson said, who has been calling the plays for the Raiders since Coach Jon Gruden resigned two weeks ago.
“He provides us that 1-2 punch with Josh. ... Kenyan gives us a little bit of a different pace, some routes he and Josh run differently. They both have their strengths, but certain routes we like Kenyan better than Josh, or Josh better than Kenyan.”
Drake even impressed Eagles Coach Nick Sirianni, who said: “You always want to dig and find new ideas and Kenyan Drake is always a guy I’ve watched because he’s explosive, he’s a great playmaker, and he has that dual-threat ability.”
“You want to see how other people get their skill players the ball in the passing game, you always want to see that.”
The 6-1, 211-pound Drake has carried the ball 42 times for 160 yards, a 3.8-yard average, and two touchdowns while catching 18 passes for 187 yards, a 10.4-yard average with a long of 31, and another score in seven games this season.
And he seems content with his role backing up Jacobs.
“I just try to make the most of my opportunities, you know what I mean?” said Drake, who scored on a 31-yard pass from Carr and an 18-yard run in the Raiders’ 34-24 victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 6.
“Whenever my number is called, whether it’s in the return game, pass game, running game, that’s what I’m here for—I came here to make plays. So that’s what I hope to continue to do as the season goes on.
“I’ve just got a nose for the end zone. If I get there, I’m hungry for it.”
The 27-year-old Drake, who was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the third round (No. 37 overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft after playing for national championship teams at Alabama in 2012 and 2015, spent three-plus years with the Dolphins and two with the Arizona Cardinals.
Drake has rushed for 3,290 yards and 29 touchdowns in his NFL career while catching 187 passes for 1,431 yards and seven scores.
Much of that came as a starter, but now he’s part of what should become a potent 1-2 punch for the Raiders.
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