The Las Vegas Raiders had been treading water through the first three weeks of the 2025 NFL season. They escaped with a narrow victory against the New England Patriots in Week 1 but dropped consecutive contests to the Los Angeles Chargers and Washington Commanders.
A common theme in all three of these games, win or lose, was a poor effort on the ground. This has been especially disappointing because the Raiders had the worst rushing attack in the league last season, and they drafted Ashton Jeanty sixth overall to mitigate this.
However, he finally got going in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears. Not only did the offensive line finally hold its own, but offensive coordinator Chip Kelly got Jeanty involved in a variety of ways, and it paid major dividends despite the 25-24 loss.
Ashton Jeanty did something no Raiders rookie has done since Bo Jackson
On Sunday, Jeanty ran the ball 21 times for 138 yards and a touchdown, which averages out to 6.6 yards per carry. In his previous three games, he mustered just 144 rushing yards on 47 attempts and one touchdown.
He also caught just five passes for three yards in his first three NFL games, but Jeanty responded on Sunday with a better showing. Jeanty caught two passes for 17 yards, both of which went for touchdowns. This means he had 155 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns against the Bears.
According to ESPN's Ryan McFadden, a Raiders rookie has not recorded three touchdowns in a single game since 1987, when Bo Jackson scored three times in a Week 12 road game against the Seattle Seahawks. He had two rushing touchdowns and one through the air, collecting 235 all-purpose yards.
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Whereas Jackson's Los Angeles Raiders were able to capitalize on this historic performance and earn a 37-14 win against the Seahawks, Jeanty's Las Vegas Raiders still fell to Chicago. This was largely due to a brutal three-interception performance from quarterback Geno Smith.
Jeanty, however, finally started to show why the franchise invested such premier draft capital in him, despite the numerous issues that were bound to plague the Silver and Black this season. He already looks like a star, and it only took him three games.
Plus, to already be uttered in the same breath as a player like Bo Jackson is incredible, no matter the context. Ideally, Jeanty's career is less injury-riddled and much longer-tenured, but Jackson was a legend nonetheless, and this is a major confidence boost for Jeanty.