Raiders running back Josh Jacobs wins NFL rushing title for 2022 season
Jan 9, 2023, 9:19 AM | Updated: 9:20 am
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 07: Josh Jacobs #28 of the Las Vegas Raiders walks off the field after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium on January 07, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jeff Bottari/Getty Images)
With Week 18 in the books, Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs can say he is the NFL’s rushing leader for the 2022 season.
In Saturday’s loss to the Chiefs, Jacobs rushed for 42 yards, pushing his season total to 1,653 total yards rushed. That gave him a sizeable lead heading into Sunday’s games with running backs Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb chasing him for the title.
And by the end of Sunday, Jacobs held onto that title, with 115 yards in between him and the NFL’s number two rushing leader, Henry at 1,538 rushing yards.
Jacobs is only the second Raider to win the NFL’s rushing title. Raider legend and Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen led the league in rushing in 1985, his MVP season, with 1,759 yards.
Raiders to win the rushing title
Marcus Allen
Josh Jacobs pic.twitter.com/dwOqgp7Lzm— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) January 9, 2023
The 24-year-old running back has played in every game this season, averaging just under 5 yards per rush and totaling 12 touchdowns. However, he almost missed the final game due to a family emergency. However, his father told him to play and Jacobs said it was “probably the hardest game I’ve ever played.” Raiders coach Josh McDaniels said he wasn’t surprised Jacobs played.
“Because I know him, and that’s a testament to him and his family. That was totally on their discretion. We understood the situation. I’m not going to get into the specifics of that and I respect their privacy,” McDaniels said. “J.J. knew he had whatever he wanted from us relative to support, and we understood and respected the situation. And if he had chosen not to, then I would have completely understood that. But he came back, and I give him a ton of credit for giving it a go and trying to help us win a game at the end of the season.”
Earlier in the season, he set the Raiders’ single-game rushing record when he ran for 229 rushing yards against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12. He’s also the first Raider in franchise history to rush for over 225 yards and record two touchdowns.
Josh Jacobs enters the offseason with questions about his future in Las Vegas. Prior to the 2022 season, the Raiders did not pick up the running back’s fifth-year option.
