It's hard to pick apart the Las Vegas Raiders' Week 2 showing against the Los Angeles Chargers too much, as Klint Kubiak's young team went on the road and took down a divisional foe by two scores in a game that most thought they would lose. But Ashton Jeanty was the exception to this rule.
Kirk Cousins was a major question mark heading into the game, but he answered the call. Fans didn't know what to expect from Zeke Masses in his first start, but the young player made a statement. Jeanty, on the other hand, felt like a known commodity. On Sunday, however, he was anything but.
From low production to uncharacteristically bad miscues and a general lack of oomph in his play, the Raiders' second-year running back was a shell of himself in the AFC West showdown and, really, the only big blemish. Jeanty shouldn't stay down for long, though, and Kubiak clearly didn't abandon him.
Raiders' Ashton Jeanty did not bring anything close to his "A" game vs. Chargers
The NFL is a week-to-week league. Matchups matter so much, and it stands to reason that the Chargers were most worried about Jeanty after his great showing in the opener. But a side-by-side comparison of Jeanty's Week 1 and 2 outputs makes it obvious that something was off on Sunday.
Stat | Week 1 vs. Dolphins | Week 2 vs. Chargers |
|---|---|---|
Rushing Yards | 102 | 48 |
Yards/Carry | 4.4 | 2.3 |
Receiving Yards | 45 | 15 |
Drops | 0 | 3 |
Touchdowns | 2 | 0 |
Missed Tackles Forced | 3 | 1 |
Across the board, Jeanty was less efficient and made an overall smaller impact on the final score against Los Angeles compared to what he did against Miami. He wasn't seeing the field well, and unforced errors like drops are not typical for him, as he had four all of last year, but three on Sunday.
Not to mention, he just didn't have much pop in his game, as Jeanty wasn't making defenders miss or running through them against the Chargers, as he did last week and all throughout his rookie season. Things were off-kilter, and Jeanty failed to produce much or help the Raiders win in any notable way.
Los Angeles does have a better run defense than Miami did, and their front caused more problems for the Raiders' offensive line than the Dolphins' did. But the pendulum should not swing that much from week to week, so Jeanty's outing was a black mark on an otherwise momentous victory.
Raiders fans shouldn't worry about Ashton Jeanty's poor outing vs. Chargers
Jeanty, despite this performance, will be completely fine. Kubiak has said that he'll ride the hot hand when needed, and last week, that was Jeanty. But even when it wasn't on Sunday, Kubiak stuck with him, giving him 28 total touches, compared to 29 in Week 1. The workload was basically identical.
So, Kubiak didn't abandon the run or give up on Jeanty, and neither should anyone else. And against the New Orleans Saints in Week 3, things should be a bit easier for the Raiders, as their run defense has been porous through the first two games of the 2026 NFL season.
Luckily for Jeanty, Cousins came to play against the Chargers, as he had tons of success throwing the ball deep. Clearly, Los Angeles sold out to stop the run after Jeanty's big Week 1, and that allowed Cousins and the passing game to be successful over the top against a loaded box.
Next week, New Orleans won't know what to do, as Las Vegas has now proven that it can win games both by dominating on the ground and by airing it out. And Brock Bowers may also return, which will divert even more attention away from Jeanty and the rushing attack. That's a recipe for success.
Was it ideal for Jeanty to have such a dismal game on the ground and for him to have self-inflicted miscues? Certainly not. His production should not fluctuate that much from week to week. But keep in mind that he's still a young player who is developing, even if he's already considered a star.
Perhaps Kubiak can help him out by rotating in Mike Washington Jr. a bit more, which will give the opponent different looks defensively while also keeping Jeanty fresher. That seemed to work in Week 1, but that wasn't implemented as much this past Sunday, which is on Kubiak, not Jeanty.
Either way, the offense survived without Jeanty playing his best, and there is no real reason to worry about the way he played just yet. If he strings together poor games with an improved offensive line, sure, we can start having that discussion. Although even then, it'd be a bit too premature.
But something tells me that Jeanty will do in Week 3 what he has always done, which is respond to adversity. His poor showing against the Chargers should have no bearing on what he'll do against the Saints, but if it does, it'll only motivate him more and set him up better to ball out this Sunday.
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