The Las Vegas Raiders were finally able to end their four-game losing streak with a 38-33 win over the New York Jets. While the team is happy to get a win, there was some notable new information that came with the Week 8 game.
Former first-round pick Ashton Jeanty had only two rushing attempts, which was the lowest of his Raiders career. Rookie Mike Washington Jr. was able to carry the ball 25 times, as Jeanty was mostly on the field for passing plays.
Jeanty is used to a heavy workload. He had 374 carries his final year at Boise State and 266 rushing attempts as a rookie. However, he hasn’t had success running the ball this season. He’s averaging 3.1 yards per carry. It’s not clear why the Raiders decided to reduce his role, but it’ll be interesting to see if Washington is the lead back going forward.
While it’s easy to understand if Jeanty is upset or disappointed with the reduced role, he’s being a good sport about it and was aware that he wasn’t going to be the featured running back against the Jets.
“We won. It doesn’t matter how I feel about how [many] times I get the ball,” Jeanty told reporters after the Jets game. “Whatever it takes for the team to win, I just want to win. That’s all.”
Jeanty Was Named Captain For Week 8
There was speculation that Jeanty saw his role cut due to some comments he made about the Jets prior to the game. That seems unlikely. Jeanty is a beloved member of the team.
Unlike other teams, the Raiders don’t have permanent team captains for the season. They name new ones every week. Jeanty was named a team captain for Week 8, which would suggest that he showed strong leadership and was a good teammate heading into the game.
The Raiders wouldn’t name him a team captain only to punish him for some comments he made. It’s more likely that the team just wanted to give Washington a bigger look. Jeanty is clearly a talented player, but he just hasn’t been able to make plays this season.
Kirk Cousins Praises Jeanty
There’s still time for Jeanty to turn his season around and earn more carries again. Even though he only got handed off the ball twice against the Jets, he did have three catches for 65 yards.
He’s proving to be an effective target in the passing game. Quarterback Kirk Cousins praised Jeanty’s attitude despite his reduced role.
“He’s a high-caliber person and had the same great attitude,” Cousins said. “He made a major difference for us in the pass game and in the run game. He’ll continue to be a key player for us because he has so much ability to be a threat when the ball is in his hands.”
The Raiders’ running game has been a big problem this year, so it’s hard to fault Klint Kubiak for shaking things up. In the future, the team may try a more balanced attack wth Jeanty and Washington.
Ashton Jeanty Shares Strong Response to Getting 2 Carries Against Jets