The surprising Las Vegas Raiders absorbed their first loss of the 2026 season last week when they were narrowly beaten by the Kansas City Chiefs, 30-27.
Today, the Raiders go on the road where they look to bounce back when they face the 2-2 New England Patriots.
Just 90 minutes before the game, the Raiders got a boost that can only increase their chances of grabbing their fourth win of the year.
Ashton Jeanty will play for the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday at New England after clearing a foot and ankle scare, the Raiders announced.
Las Vegas, 3-1 after the three-point loss to Kansas City, gets its workhorse back, but how much work Jeanty’s ankle and foot will allow remains unanswered.
The Raiders listed the running back as questionable all week with ankle and foot injuries and elevated Roman Hemby from the practice squad as insurance. Hemby landed on the inactive list instead. Jeanty is officially active versus the Patriots for the 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Gillette Stadium.
| LAS VEGAS RAIDERS INACTIVES — WEEK 5 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Raiders at Patriots • Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA • Sunday, Oct. 11 • 10:00 a.m. PT • CBS | ||
| NO. | Name | Position |
| 9 | Jalen Nailor | WR |
| 12 | Aidan O’Connell | QB (Emergency 3rd QB) |
| 27 | Tristin McCollum | S |
| 37 | Roman Hemby | RB |
| 43 | Dalton Johnson | S |
| 66 | Trey Zuhn III | G |
| 92 | JJ Pegues | DT |
| Inactive for Sunday’s game • Emergency 3rd QB = inactive quarterback who can be activated if both active quarterbacks are unavailable | ||
Las Vegas Raiders’ Ashton Jeanty Injury Timeline
Jeanty suffered a low ankle sprain on Aug. 23 in training camp, diving for a Kirk Cousins pass and landing awkwardly. He left the field with help, unable to put pressure on the leg, according to ESPN.
He returned to practice around Sept. 9 and started the Sept. 13 opener against Miami. Recovery from a moderate low ankle sprain typically runs three to six weeks, according to Complex writer Matt Burke.
The ankle never fully cleared. Jeanty noted after the loss to Kansas City that it still required management, and a plantar fasciitis flare-up in his foot complicated the issue this week. He practiced fully Wednesday, was limited Thursday and did not practice on Friday, according to Sports Illustrated.
Jeanty would “do his best to go,” Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said. He was “hopeful to play today” and planned a pregame workout to decide it, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported.
Measured against the ankle injury alone, Jeanty is on schedule. He has missed no regular-season games and came back at the short end of the recovery window. The foot trouble put him behind in practice this week and made him a game-time call.
Jeanty’s Stats and His Role Against the Patriots
Jeanty has 78 carries for 264 yards, a 3.4 average, and no rushing touchdowns through four games. He has 19 catches on 24 targets for 165 yards and two touchdowns.
He opened with 102 rushing yards against Miami but has not topped 58 since, according to NFL.com. Against Kansas City, he caught six passes for 68 yards.
Born Dec. 2, 2003, in Jacksonville, Fla., Jeanty is the son of Navy chief petty officer Harry Jeanty. He started playing football on a naval base near Naples, Italy, where as a freshman he rushed for more than 1,200 yards and 21 touchdowns in six games.
The family later settled in Frisco, Texas, where he ran for 1,843 yards at Lone Star High School as a senior. At Boise State, he piled up 2,601 rushing yards in 2024, second-most in FBS history, and finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up.
The Raiders took him sixth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. He rushed for 975 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie, and caught 55 passes for 346 yards and five more scores, according to NFL.com.
Jeanty is the clear lead back in Kubiak’s offense and has played 75.8 percent of the snaps this season. Las Vegas is a 3.5-point road underdog against a New England run defense ranked 29th in EPA per rush.
The Patriots are also missing multiple cornerbacks, according to USA Today’s Touchdown Wire. Rookie Mike Washington Jr., who has 24 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown, waits behind Jeanty if the foot flares again.
Raiders Announce Ashton Jeanty Decision 90 Minutes Before Patriots Game