The season is all but over for the Las Vegas Raiders from a competing for the playoffs standpoint. However, with some young talent on the roster, the hope is that the veteran experience of head coach Pete Carroll can help them develop players like Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty over the second half of the season.
Both players, the former due to injury and the latter overall, haven’t lived up to their preseason billing. Unfortunately, facing a revamped Dallas Cowboys defense, the first half was another strict watch for the superstar rookie they selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
What Happened to Ashton Jeanty?
A curious game plan from Carroll saw the Raiders adopt a pass-heavy offense against the Cowboys. Ranked second last on PFSN’s Defense Impact, the hope had to be that Geno Smith could exploit what had been a porous defense for Dallas.
However, with the additions of Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson at the trade deadline, it was anyone’s best guess how the new-look defensive unit would fare against Las Vegas. Through the first half, they did an amicable job, holding them to just nine points.
On the other hand, the Cowboys’ offense came alive after a rough showing against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9, scoring 24 points in the first period. With the offense quickly playing catch-up, Carroll had to abandon the run game.
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As a result, Jeanty ended up with just two carries for 10 rushing yards. However, he was an active part of the game plan as a pass catcher, with six targets to his name. Catching four of those throws, he also added 17 receiving yards to his tally.
Ranked 24th on PFSN’s RB Impact for the season, he has 547 rushing yards and four touchdowns coming into tonight’s game on 143 carries, for an underwhelming 3.8 yards per rush attempt.
Additionally, he’s continued to factor into the passing game for the Raiders, particularly near the end zone, with 136 receiving yards and three touchdowns through the air on 23 catches.
In the second half, though, the going somehow got markedly worse for the sixth overall pick. Getting four more carries, he went back three yards, finishing with seven rushing yards on six carries, including giving up a safety to the Cowboys.
He remained a factor in the passing game, as he finished the night with six catches and 27 receiving yards. However, the result was another blowout against the Raiders, who lost 33-16 to fall to 2-8.