Nick Bosa lauds Josh Jacobs after Raiders test 49ers defense: ‘Best running back I’ve played against’

Following Sunday’s 37-34 overtime win over the Jarrett Stidham-led Las Vegas Raiders, San Francisco 49ers star defensive end Nick Bosa saved his highest praise for running back Josh Jacobs.

“That’s a really good team. Best running back I’ve played against in my career, no doubt about it,” Bosa said. “That dude’s a beast. And they have a lot of really talented players. Quarterback played good.

“The NFL will humble you 100 percent of the time.”

After the Raiders declined his fifth-year option before the season, Jacobs has been dominant. He leads the NFL with 1,608 yards entering Week 18, 179 more than second (Derrick Henry). With 95 scrimmage yards Sunday, Jacobs (2,003) became just the second Raiders player ever to gain 2,000-plus scrimmage yards in a season, joining Marcus Allen (2,314), who did so during his MVP campaign in 1985.

The Defensive Player of the Year candidate, Bosa’s praise of Jacobs underscores how many around the league view the bulldozing RB. The question heading into the offseason is whether a club will shell out for a workhorse back on a second contract after coming off a 300-plus carry campaign. The market for such RBs hasn’t been booming, but it only takes one team to make a big offer.

As for the 49ers D, it marked the first time since before Halloween that it allowed an offense to score more than 20 points. Vegas generated 34 points to force overtime and racked up 500 total yards against the best defense in the NFL.

Basa noted that it was good for the Niners to get this type of game out of their system ahead of the playoffs.

“A lot to get better on, but I think we needed this as a defense,” Bosa said.

Even with the D having its worst game since Week 7, the Niners still found a way to win their ninth straight contest, the longest active streak in the NFL. San Francisco currently holds the No. 2 seed in the NFC and could leapfrog to the top spot with a win in Week 18 over the Arizona Cardinals and an Eagles loss to the Giants.

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