LAS VEGAS – Las Vegas Raiders standout running back Josh Jacobs mercilessly trampled the Texans’ helpless defense, bulldozing through them Sunday like a runaway truck.
Jacobs took control of a close game in the second half, running roughshod over one of the worst run defenses in the league during a 38-20 win at Allegiant Stadium.
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The former first-round draft pick from Alabama rumbled for three touchdowns, all in the second half, and rushed for 143 yards on 20 carries as he averaged 7.2 yards per run. Ninety-eight of his yards were gained after halftime.
“He’s a great back,” Texans middle linebacker and defensive team captain Christian Kirksey said. “I think it just boiled down to us just missing tackles. When you have a back that is that strong, you’ve got to get him on the ground.
“Every loss is hard to swallow, but can’t pout about it, can’t complain about it. Got to clean it up.”
There was no sequence more emblematic of the Texans’ substandard run defense than what unfolded in the fourth quarter.
When the Raiders had retaken the lead on a seven-yard Jacobs run up the middle for a touchdown, the Texans couldn’t answer offensively. They were going to go for it on 4th-and-1 at their own 33-yard line when rookie offensive guard Kenyon Green jumped offsides.
Once the Texans were forced to punt, Jacobs took control again as he carried the Raiders into the end zone again. Jacobs had runs of 12 and 13 yards before his 15-yard touchdown run iced the game.
The Texans’ 30th-ranked run defense faltered again, absolutely pounded for 164 rushing yards and a 6.1 average per carry.
“Defensively, we just didn’t play well enough,” Texans coach Lovie Smith said. “In the first half, I thought we were in pretty good shape. In the second half, we didn’t do what we needed to. They got the run going.
“Jacobs is a heck of a back. We had breakdowns near the end. You miss a gap, and you miss a tackle, and that’s what can happen. He’s done that to everybody. He’s a good running back.”
Despite the addition of rookie linebacker Christian Harris, activated from injured reserve after a hamstring injury suffered during the preseason, the results were the same. Jacobs got around Harris late in the game on a 12-yard run leading up to his 15-yard score. Harris finished with one tackle.
“We weren’t stopping them defensively,” Smith said. “Breakdowns, tackles, just just weren’t physical enough at the end. Right now, there’s a lot of disappointment.”
At one point in the fourth quarter, the Texans substituted for rookie safety Jalen Pitre and replaced him with Eric Murray.
The Texans’ defense was impacted by the loss of defensive tackle Maliek Collins to a chest injury.
Late in the game, Smith huddled with the defense to try to stop the bleeding. It didn’t work.
“You can imagine what we were saying,” Smith said. “I can’t spell it out to you. We didn’t play good enough defense, so you can fill in the rest of the blanks.”
It’s unclear what will need to change for the run defense to get better. At this point, it’s looking pretty bleak without major changes to the front seven.
“It’s important to us,” Smith said. “We haven’t played the run well, and we didn’t play it well today. We’ll keep working on it. Eventually, we’ll get it right.”
Jones has been running like someone determined to prove the Raiders made a mistake not exercising his fifth-year club option. This marked his third consecutive 100-yard rushing performance. Jacobs is the first Raider to rush for 100 yards in three consecutive games since Napoleon Kaufman in 1997.
“You know going in that he runs the ball hard and they’re going to try to run the ball,” linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill said. “They’re a good running team. We couldn’t stop the run.”
Drafted 24th overall, Jacobs is a former Pro Bowl selection.
“He’s a great running back, I would say top five,” Texans corner Steven Nelson said. “You see him on film breaking tackles, fighting for extra yards. We knew he was going to be a problem.”
What’s the answer to this ongoing problem? The Texans have tried shifting around personnel some, but nothing dramatic.
In the bigger picture, this might be an issue the Texans can’t solve immediately. And they have to square off against Tennessee Titans All-Pro running back Derrick Henry next Sunday at NRG Stadium.
“Just got to keep putting in work and keep getting better every week,” Grugier-Hill said. “That’s the truth. You can’t give up.”
Aaron Wilson is a contributor to KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.
