Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has singled out a key battle which his team will have to win if they are to emerge victorious against the Las Vegas Raiders in their season opener on Sunday.
That is to simply slow down Raiders running back Josh Jacobs. The 25-year-old has enjoyed his meetings with the Broncos winning all seven of his games against the franchise, racking up 721 yards and scoring nine touchdowns.
Speaking ahead of the game, Payton made no secret that stopping Jacobs is a major part of their gameplan.
"We wouldn't tailor our plan -- our plan defensively is: here are the key players," Payton said.
"He certainly is one of the more dominant running backs in the NFL, so that's how we'll approach the game."
While Jacobs has thrived in past meetings with the Broncos, the fact he missed the the offseason due to a contract issues may work in favour of the Broncos come gameday, but members of the Broncos defence, including defensive lineman Mike Purcell, believe that Jacobs will still be a threat.
"He may have missed all of training camp and whatnot, but he's a hard runner and he led the league in rushing last year for a reason. He prides himself on his work and that's why he did what he did," defensive lineman Mike Purcell told ABC7 Denver.
"He'll be ready to play."
DAZN will deliver the NFL Game Pass International service from the 2023 season across the world (except the U.S. and China), find out more here.