The Las Vegas Raiders’ inability to run the ball on offense finally came back to haunt them against the New England Patriots. The passing game has been so good that the offense has been able to score, but that wasn’t the case in Week 5.
The Raiders offense rushed for 38 yards against the Patriots and averaged 2.1 yards per carry. Starting running back Ashton Jeanty was totally ineffective, having rushed for 27 yards on 10 carries.
What was surprising is that the Raiders never really gave rookie Mike Washington Jr. a chance. Despite the struggles to run the ball, he had one carry. Even Dylan Laube had four carries. Washington is averaging 5.0 yards per carry this season, so it doesn’t make sense that he wouldn’t get more chances to make plays.
According to head coach Klint Kubiak, it was simply because the Raiders got behind early and needed to throw more to try and catch up.
“Early in the game, especially, I needed to stay with the run. Didn’t need to have abandoned it so fast. So it’s on me,” Kubiak told reporters in his postgame press conference.
That would make more sense if Laube didn’t get four carries. He’s mostly a special teams contributor and receiver out of the backfield. It’s a curious choice to have him get more carries than Washington, who has played well.
Jeanty Is Not Healthy
With each passing game, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that Jeanty isn’t 100%. He hurt his ankle before the season, but powered through the injury to play in Week 1.
It seems that his ankle has only gotten worse, and now he’s also dealing with a foot injury. Even Kubiak admitted that Jeanty is not healthy at the moment.
“Yes. Ashton is beat up,” Kubiak said. “And it’s a testament to how tough he is that he’s out there playing today for his teammates.”
According to Jeanty, he’s not going to sit out a game unless he absolutely cannot play.
“Unless I can’t run, jump, I’m playing,” Jeanty said. “Football is a tough game. You’re never gonna play feeling 100 percent. So at the end of the day, I just want to go out there and do my best for my teammates and whatever it takes.”
The Raiders may need to save Jeanty from himself and give him some time off to fully recover because he’s completely ineffective right now.
Washington Needs a Bigger Role
At this point, the Raiders don’t have anything to lose by giving Washington more carries. Jeanty isn’t a productive player right now with his ankle injury. When Washington has gotten the ball, he’s made plays.
That doesn’t mean the rookie is a better running back long term, but he’s likely better right now. He’s also a player who can make plays as a receiver. Perhaps the Raiders don’t trust him as a blocker, which is why his snaps are limited. That’s something he’ll need to improve, but right now, the team needs somebody who can make tacklers miss and gain some yards on the ground.
Klint Kubiak Explains Baffling Mike Washington Decision