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Las Vegas Raiders RB Josh Jacobs ruled out vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, shown Oct. 6, 2019, missed practice all week due to toe and ankle injuries. File Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI
Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, shown Oct. 6, 2019, missed practice all week due to toe and ankle injuries. File Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Las Vegas Raiders starting running back Josh Jacobs was ruled out for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers because of ankle and toe injuries.

The Pro Bowl tailback missed practice all week due to the ailments. On Friday, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden confirmed that Jacobs would be unable to suit up for their Week 2 matchup at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

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Jacobs had 10 carries for 34 yards and two touchdowns in the Raiders' 33-27 overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night.

Gruden told reporters that Peyton Barber, who signed with the Raiders earlier this month, will receive Jacobs' touches, with veteran Kenyan Drake remaining in his current role as a pass-catching back out of the team's backfield.

"We really like Barber. We think he's a heck of a back," Gruden said. "I like the way he runs and catches and picks up blitzes. We're excited about this opportunity to see what we have."

The 27-year-old Barber ran for 258 yards and four touchdowns on 94 carries in 16 games, including two starts, for the Washington Football Team last season. He finished with a career-best 871 rushing yards across 16 starts for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2018.

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Jacobs, meanwhile, recorded two 1,000-yard rushing seasons in his first two NFL campaigns, but he dealt with injuries in each of those years. He missed three games as a rookie in 2019, then missed one game in the 2020 campaign.

The 23-year-old Jacobs said last week that his workloads in practice would be reduced to keep him healthy for games.

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