Gesichtspflege » They have a great team, great defense.

Josh Jacobs had shown promise at Alabama Womens Antonio Brown Jersey , but he also came with a lot of question marks. He was never a starter for the Crimson Tide, so there were durability questions. And just the questions that came with why he was never given the workhorse back role.He showed enough in those limited reps to earn first round back status and the Raiders pulled the trigger on him at 24 overall. Over the first four games of his NFL career, he has gone about checking all those boxes and answering the questions about his abilities at the NFL level.Namely, he has shown an impressive ability to run between the tackles as well as break tackles. Currently he is fourth in the league in forced missed tackles per touch. How does he do it? What’s the key? Well, instincts are good. Those are intangible skills that can be honed but can’t be taught. Either you have it or you don’t. And Jacobs has it. He also has great patience to allow his blocks to set up and shoot through his gaps at the right time.“I’d say it’s a lot of things that go into it,” Jacobs said of his rushing success so far. “Obviously trusting in your Oline. Working with them, I know how good they are, so just trusting and believing in them. And just wanting to. Half the game is kind of mental. Just knowing that you’re going to get hit or knowing that you need to make a play. That’s kind of just how I go into it in each play and I just try to give it my all.”Last week Jacobs surpassed former Raiders running back Darren McFadden’s record for rookie rushing over his first four games. What’s interesting about that is the two backs could not be any different in their running styles. While McFadden was all speed and needed to get into open space to work, Jacobs has a stocky build and seems to do his best work in tight spaces“We mentioned early when we drafted him,” Greg Olson said of Jacobs’s body type, “I think I said our scouting department did a tremendous job in evaluating the player and he’s what we consider a heavy runner. Very rarely, when you saw him in college, and when you see him now, and he hits a pile does he get knocked backwards. The pile usually moves forward, so he runs heavy. Again, if you look at his build and see he’s thick boned and plays with a low center of gravity. . . he’s built to be an NFL back.”In order for the Raiders to compete against the Bears this Sunday, they will need the skills that Jacobs possesses. In that regard, he is the perfect type of back to go up against them.The Bears defensive front is arguably the best in the league. They are currently third in the league in fewest rushing yards allowed per game (61.5). They allow just 3.0 yards per carry and have given up just one rushing touchdown all season.“They have the best defensive front I would say in the league. Defensively right now they’re fast and aggressive, so we’re just going to have to match their intensity.”The most yards allowed this season by the Bears was 90 yards against the BroncosAnd the most yards they have allowed to a single player was the 54 yards Royce Freeman’s put up in that game. Jacobs has averaged nearly 77 yards per game with a low of 44 yards on just 10 carries. His 4.4 yards per carry was his lowest of the season and nearly a full yard more than the Bears average yards per carry allowed. Something’s got to give.This group is led by former Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack. He patrols the edge and is as lethal against the run as he is against the pass.Aside from him, you aren’t going to find many Bears defenders among the leaders in statistical categories. Not because they’re not good players Antonio Brown Jersey White , but because they’re all very good and share the load. There’s Pro Bowl defensive tackle Akeem Hicks who has stalwart nose tackle next to him Eddie Goldman filling gaps. Backing them are second year former 8th overall pick middle linebacker Roquan Smith and former 9th overall pick Leonard Floyd. Yeah, they like their defense in Chicago.As for the offense, it hasn’t been nearly at the premiere level, so providing the Raiders don’t turn the ball over, the Bears shouldn’t jump out to a big lead in the game. And so long as the game is within reach, the Raiders can look to their ground game to try and control the clock and take a methodical approach. Grinding it out and taking what might normally be a one or two-yard gain and making it a three or four-yard gain is what Jacobs specializes in.Follow @LeviDamien The Los Angeles Rams and Oakland Raiders spent most of the lead-up to the season in the same predicament, with their Defensive Players of the Year holding out while seeking new contracts.When the teams open the season against each other Monday night in Oakland, that will have changed. The Rams will have last year’s winner of the league’s top defensive award on the field anchoring the middle in Aaron Donald. The Raiders will be without 2016 winner Khalil Mack, who was traded to Chicago.The Raiders dealt Mack for a package including two first-round draft picks a day after Donald signed a six-year, $135 million deal, with $87 million guaranteed. Oakland was unwilling to pay that price for Mack, forcing defensive coordinator Paul Guenther to shelve plans he made after getting hired on how to use Mack, and proceed the way he approached training camp with the rest of the overhauled defense.“I think I saw the guy in a restaurant in March one time,” Guenther said. “My kids pointed it out to me, ‘Hey, its Khalil Mack. He’s got the new Jordans on.’ You know, I wouldn’t know. With as many new players we brought in, new coaching staff we just kind of got use to him not being here and operating with what we got, so we are going to move along that way.”The Raiders spent much of the offseason trying to improve their pass rush by moving Bruce Irvin to a full-time defensive end position, and drafting P.J. Hall Bo Jackson Jersey White , Arden Key and Maurice Hurst. That group helped generate 12 sacks in the preseason and will have plenty of pressure starting Monday night to fill Mack’s void.“It’s an opportunity for me and the rest of the guys on the D-line,” Key said. “That’s just another opportunity. Khalil Mack is gone. We can’t dwell on it. We have to move forward and somebody has to step up in his spot.”The Rams said they weren’t exactly upset to see Mack traded, considering he has averaged more than 12 sacks and 60 quarterback pressures over the last three seasons. But they noted they still have to face Mack in Week 14 and that the Raiders’ other rushers present enough of a challenge this week.“He’s a great player, and he’s not going to be on the team we’re playing this week, but they’ve got plenty of good players, and they’ve got a great defense and a great team that we’re preparing for,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “We’re not thinking very much about Khalil right now.”The Raiders have plenty to worry about on Los Angeles’ defense now that Donald is back to team with three former All-Pros added this offseason: defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib.The new-look lineup gives coordinator Wade Phillips one of the game’s best pair of cornerbacks in Peters and Talib, as well as interior rushers in Donald and Suh.The Raiders have a good idea what to expect with Peters and Talib having spent the past few years in the AFC West; Oakland playing against Suh in Miami last year; and Phillips serving as defensive coordinator in Denver in 2015-16 when he faced the Raiders four times overall.“They’re all great players,” quarterback Derek Carr said. “ Great challenge they present us. Then (defensive coordinator) coach Phillips calling it. I’ve gone against him a number of times. He does his stuff, man, and he’s really good at it. It’s going to be a good challenge for us. I can sit here and talk good things about all those guys. They know how I feel about them, they’re great players.”The Rams have spent the past week incorporating Donald into the mix after he held out all offseason and training camp. They have experience doing it from last year, when he didn’t report until one day before the season opener and missed the first game.He’s had more than a week of practice and should be ready for the opener for what could be the most star-packed defense in the league.“We haven’t played in any games or any meaningful snaps, so we’re still figuring out how to come together as a defense,” coach Sean McVay said. “You feel good about those two players and some of the other guys that will play with them up front. It looks good right now, but it’s about playing together as a unit and doing a great job against what we know is going to be an excellent challenge with a great offense on Monday night.”