‘It’s the defenses right now…’ Raiders OC Chip Kelly gives blunt response to questions over rookie Ashton Jeanty’s slow start – and insists even stars like Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey are struggling - suong
The Las Vegas Raiders‘ rushing game continues to be a major concern, a point highlighted in their 41-24 loss to the Washington Commanders on September 21 at Northwest Stadium.
In that game, the Raiders totaled just 93 rushing yards, with rookie Ashton Jeanty leading the way with 63. The 21-year-old carried the ball 17 times, averaging 3.7 yards per carry.
Though it shows a modest improvement, Las Vegas will need a much stronger ground attack to achieve consistent success as the season progresses. While the focus is on the Raiders’
“I think it’s the defenses right now,” Kelly told reporters on September 25
“Everybody else—Saquon Barkley averages 3.3 yards per carry, Christian McCaffrey averages three yards per carry. So Ashton Jeanty’s right in the bunch with those guys. I think across the league through the first three games, defenses are ahead of offenses at a big rate… That’s just the league. Sometimes defenses are ahead, then offenses catch up, and it goes back and forth. That’s the nature of this game.”
Raiders Have Faced Top Run Defenses
In the first three games, the Silver and Black have played a couple of the top run defenses in the NFL. The New England Patriots (181 yards), Los Angeles Chargers (284 yards), and Commanders (302 yards) are the top defenses in rushing yards allowed, per
Against the Chicago Bears, the Raiders should be able to run the football, considering the NFC North side has allowed 418 rushing yards so far this season. This Week 4 game might be what Jeanty needs to get going.
NFL Analyst Calls Out Raiders O-Line
Despite Chicago being one of the worst run defenses, it will all depend on the Las Vegas offensive line to generate running lanes for Jeanty. Nonetheless, NFL analyst Mark Schlereth
“The concern is the Raiders couldn’t block their way out of a wet paper sack,” Schlereth said during an appearance
“I’ve got a couple of guys on there. Daron Payne for Washington is a really good player, and I think they’ve got a bunch of really good players, but they don’t have anybody other than Daron Payne who’s an absolute war daddy on that line of scrimmage. [The Raiders] offensive line was awful. It was purely awful in this game.”
“Being unable to block anybody and then Ashton learning exactly what he is supposed to do is a bad combination right off the start. I thought the right side of their offensive line, with their right tackle and
‘It’s going to cost them…’ NFL announces punishment for two Las Vegas Raiders stars after costly mistakes in bruising Week 3 clash… heavy fines revealed in official league report as fans left stunned by what came next… - suong
Two Las Vegas Raiders players, Isaiah Pola-Mao and Devin White, face fines after the NFL announced penalties. It was a tough outing for the Silver and Black in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders, and both players made mistakes that proved costly to them financially.
On September 27, the NFL published its weekly Gameday Accountability report. Created in agreement with the NFL Players Association, the report highlights game-related rule violations that may result in accountability measures, aiming to protect players and preserve both competitive balance and the integrity of the game.
Pola-Mao received the larger fine of the two Raiders players. The 26-year-old was fined for unnecessary roughness during a first-quarter play against the Commanders at the 5:01 mark, when he used his helmet. As a result, the NFL has fined Pola-Mao $17,278 for the incident.
As for White, the unnecessary roughness play that he was fined for came in the fourth quarter at the 11:31 mark after he gave a hip drop tackle. Because of this incident, the NFL fined the 27-year-old $6,500.
Raiders Defenders Will Need to Move Forward
Pola-Mao and White will have to put these issues behind them as the Raiders defense need these two playing at the top of their game against the Chicago Bears.
Raiders defensive lineman Thomas Booker IV will be looking to help slow down Williams and the Bears. Furthermore, he explained what the defense needs to do to give the team the best chance to win.
“I think [Williams is] starting to kind of figure it out—when he should stay in the pocket and when he should get out of there,” Booker told reporters on September 24
“In terms of being improvisational and scrambling, he can really make plays on the move. For us, it’s about containing him and creating as many opportunities as possible to keep him in the pocket, so he doesn’t get out and run wild. That’s what we’ll be focusing on this week.”
Bears QB Caleb Williams Has the Raiders Defense on Alert
Booker isn’t the only one aware of what Williams brings against a defense. Raiders head coach Pete Carroll is praising the quarterback as well, noting he’s been following him closely since his USC days.
“I did watch him a lot [at USC] and had a chance to check him out,” Carroll told reporters on September 24. “He’s a very, very special athlete and
“They have a really nice system. You can see it already coming through. [Ben Johnson] is doing a nice job teaching these guys what he believes is important in offense. You can see that there are a lot of changes from last year. Caleb can do whatever you want him to do, so he’s a very dangerous player to play against.”
