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How has Raiders rookie runing back Ashton Jeanty looked so far?
Source: https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/t...ookie-runing-back-ashton-jeanty-looked-so-far
The Tennessee Titans travel to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders this week in a battle of 1-4 teams. The Titans finally have some momentum after the improbable comeback win over the Arizona Cardinals. To preview the contest, Matt Holder of Silver and Black Pride answered five questions to give us some insight into the Raiders.
1. Are Raiders’ fans pleased overall with the start to the Pete Carroll era?
Not at all. Carroll talked about winning now all offseason and mentioned several times how many 10-win seasons he has on his resume. So, a 1-4 start isn’t exactly what Raider Nation was expecting this year, especially since the team has been non-competitive in two out of the four losses and barely competitive in another. That’s led some to call for his job just five games in.
Now, the organization is looking at (another) rebuild with a 74-year-old head coach, and fans aren’t happy because this isn’t what was pitched to us.
2. How has Ashton Jeanty looked so far? What are his biggest strengths and weaknesses?
Las Vegas’ offensive line was awful at the beginning of the year, which made Jeanty look worse because he wasn’t putting up the impressive numbers that he did in college. But the Boise State product had no breathing room and was constantly met by defenders in the backfield. At one point, 101 percent of his rushing yards came after contact.
However, the line has played much better in the last two weeks, so Jeanty’s explosiveness and ability to make defenders miss or break tackles (his two biggest strengths) have shone through. To add context, he had 47 rushes for 144 yards (3.1 yards per carry) with 146 yards after contact in Weeks 1-3, according to Pro Football Focus, and has 35 carries for 205 yards (5.9 ypc) with 167 yards after contact in the last two games.
One area where Jeanty can improve is with his patience. He was a little overeager in the first few weeks and missed a few open lanes by not giving the blocks enough time to develop. To a small extent, that contributed to the offensive line’s issues. But he’s been a lot better recently and has managed to find some backside cutback lanes for explosive runs.
3. Is Geno Smith the guy the Raiders should be looking to build around, or will the Raiders be in the QB market this offseason?
Circling back to your first question, in my opinion, Smith is the biggest reason the Raiders are 1-4 right now and why a lot of people are pissed at Carroll. Those two are tied at the hip as Geno was Pete’s pick at quarterback this season, opting to trade for him instead of going after a free agent like Sam Darnold or Russell Wilson. Granted, Wilson wouldn’t have been a much better option, but at least he wouldn’t have cost the Raiders a draft pick, and Smith has been terrible in Las Vegas.
All of that being said, the 35-year-old was never intended to be the future of the franchise. The club did give him an extension, but it’s really only a two-year deal. Smith was always viewed as a bridge-gap starter who was good enough to get by and bought the Raiders some extra time to find a young quarterback. However, the timeline is likely getting pushed up to this offseason with how he’s played this far. So, the urgency to find a new signal caller feels like it’s increased, as the front office will be in the quarterback market this offseason.
4. It looks like Brock Bowers could miss the game on Sunday. Who needs to step up for the Raiders on offense in his absence?
Michael Mayer is the obvious answer since he’s the second tight end. Mayer has missed the last two games with a concussion but cleared the league’s protocols earlier this week. While he’s No. 2 on the depth chart, the former second-round pick is plenty talented and could have a big game with more targets if Bowers can’t go.
That being said, Bowers is more of a big wide receiver while Mayer is a traditional tight end. So they don’t exactly play the same position, or at least not in the same way. That means the Raiders will need to get more out of wideouts Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker. Meyers has been pretty consistent in the past and was decently productive during the first three games of the year, but hasn’t made much of an impact over the last two. Meanwhile, Tucker is a little more boom or bust, recording a career high 145 yards against the Commanders but just 75 yards in the two games since then.
5. Write the headline for the postgame recap at Silver and Black Pride.
“Raiders avoid embarrassment at the cost of draft positioning”.
I don’t mean to be a jerk, but the Titans are coming off a year where they had the worst record in the NFL and only have one win so far in 2025, which was the result of major mistakes from the Cardinals. They’re one of the worst teams in the league, and Las Vegas losing to Tennessee would confirm that the Raiders are looking at a two- or three-win season. Granted, that could happen even if they win on Sunday.
On the other end of the coin, let’s be honest, this game will have a lot bigger impact on the draft order than it will on the playoff picture. So, winning could actually hurt the Silver and Black in the long run. However, I do think the Raiders are a slightly better team and Carroll’s comPETE mantra will be enough to get the ‘W’.
Source: https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/t...ookie-runing-back-ashton-jeanty-looked-so-far
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