August injury still hampering Raiders’ star running back
The Raiders’ running game has been a work in progress through the first four weeks of the season and many have noted that Ashton Jeanty hasn’t looked as explosive as he did a year ago.
Jeanty had a forgettable rookie year in 2025, but he is actually averaging fewer yards per carry (3.4 YPC) this year than he did last year (3.7 YPC).
During Sunday’s game against the Chiefs, the CBS telecast caught Jeanty hobbling and grimacing after a few runs, and it is starting to feel like the ankle injury Jeanty suffered on August 23 hasn’t been able to heal completely.
Raider Nation Radio host Q Myers on Jeanty’s ankle…
“Jeanty is not 100 percent,” Raider Nation Radio host Q Myers said on the Locked on Raiders Squad Show on Tuesday.
“He told us in the locker room following the game, he’s working on getting better and better every week. That’s all he can really do and I know it’s hard when you’re out there playing on it, and he had an unfortunate situation where a guy came down on it a little sideways on Sunday, so that didn’t help, either.”
“I know a lot of people have said, ‘Why are you playing him if he’s not 100 percent healthy?’ [It’s because] Mike Washington is a liability in the passing game. He’s not the receiver that Ashton Jeanty is out of the backfield. It’s a lot more predictable what they are going to do [when Washington is in the game].”
It hasn’t been talked about a lot, but Jeanty definitely appeared to re-injure his ankle in the fourth quarter against the Dolphins.
Prior to that, Jeanty looked like himself for the first three quarters of the Dolphins game. Since then, he has lacked burst and been noticeably more tentative with the ball in his hands.
The Raiders’ running game has other issues, too
Based on Pro Football Focus analytics, the Raiders have the 20th-ranked run blocking line in the NFL.
That’s better than a year ago when they were ranked 30th in the league, but still well below what head coach Klint Kubiak is going to consider acceptable.
Few coaches in the league share a commitment to the running game the way Kubiak does, and there’s no question the first-year head coach will be focused on finding ways to open up the running game this week against the New England Patriots.
x: @raidersbeat
Just sit Jeanty and let Washington take the rock. Geez, is it that hard to figure out? SMH!!!