Las Vegas Raiders rookie running back Ashton Jeanty assessed his performance and where he stands following a 20-9 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night.
Speaking to reporters after the second regular-season game of his NFL career, Jeanty said:
“Last week it was on me, I didn’t go a good job of reading the plays. I’ll put it on myself again this week. Could’ve broke for bigger on some runs and O-line did their thing. I’ve just got to continue to get better so I can be a game-changer for us.
“Just getting used to the speed honestly. Last week kind of felt like I was moving a little slower, this week felt better. Still not there yet, but once it happens it will be good.”
After rushing for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns en route to a second-place finish in the Heisman Trophy voting in his final college season at Boise State, Jeanty went sixth overall to the Raiders in the 2025 NFL draft.
Given his college production, draft status and the fact that he had little competition in the Raiders backfield, it was widely expected that Jeanty would hit the ground running and be an instant star.
However, Jeanty has gone through an acclimation process thus far and has yet to have his breakout performance.
In Week 1, Jeanty rushed for just 38 yards on 19 carries, although he did score his first career touchdown in a 20-13 win over the New England Patriots.
On Monday, he nearly doubled his yards-per-carry average from 2.0 in Week 1 to 3.9 in Week 2, but Jeanty still finished with just 43 yards on 11 totes.
As pointed out by ESPN’s Field Yates, Jeanty’s offensive line hasn’t done him any favors to this point:
After having negative rushing yards before contact in Week 1, Jeanty fared only slightly better this week with three rushing yards before contact.
That is usually an indication that defenders are getting into the backfield and blowing plays up, meaning Jeanty often hasn’t even been given a chance to make something out of his carries.
Although the sledding has been tough for him to this point, Jeanty’s talent is undeniable, and the Raiders seem committed to making him a featured part of the offense, as evidenced by his 35 touches through two weeks.
If that level of usage continues, it may only be a matter of time before Jeanty has the type of huge performance fans have been waiting for.
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