The Las Vegas Raiders finally put an end to their four-game losing streak, picking up a 20-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans. One of the big reasons for the Raiders’ success was the performance of rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, whom the team leaned on in this contest.
Jeanty had a season-high 23 carries on the day, just the second time this season he eclipsed the 20-carry mark. There have been plenty calling for the Raiders to give Jeanty the ball more, and the rookie himself has spoken about the offense being better when they establish the run. And now head coach Pete Carroll has confirmed that Jeanty is set to be featured more.
The Raiders coach spoke with reporters, saying there is no doubt that Jeanty is ready to take on a larger role and, while they don’t want to overwork him, the rookie should expect at least 20 carries a game moving forward, via Vegas Sports Today:
“I don’t think there’s any doubt. Yea he is and we have to make sure we don’t overdo it too early. He’s physical, he’s tough, he’s resilient. He delivers punishment and he also, he can take it well too. He’s handled himself really well. It’s a long haul, and we have to make sure that we’re managing him right, but I think that being kinda normal for him is what we should expect around 20 carries a game. Somewhere in there is what we hope.”
Feeding Jeanty the ball makes all the sense in the world for this Raiders offense, especially given their current circumstances. With All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers still dealing with a knee injury, and quarterback Geno Smith struggling to take care of the ball, focusing on the run game is the logical thing to do.
Establishing the run game behind Jeanty makes life easier for the rest of the offense, provided they can do so efficiently, as Jeanty has discussed. And the Raiders didn’t draft Jeanty sixth overall not to feature him, so putting the ball in his hands gives the Raiders the best chance to turn this offense around and get things moving on that side of the ball.
Raiders coach Pete Carroll gives injury update on Brock Bowers
Riding Ashton Jeanty makes even more sense for the Raiders as Brock Bowers continues to deal with a knee injury and has missed the last two games. And Raiders coach Pete Carroll gave an update on when Bowers could be expected back.
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