The Las Vegas Raiders kicked off the Pete Carroll era with a big win against the New England Patriots. Although most expected them to falter on the East Coast to begin the 2025 NFL season, they went on the road and pulled out an uneventful 20-13 victory.
While Geno Smith was the star of the show for the Raiders, several other aspects of the game went well. Las Vegas' pass-catching group exceeded expectations, and the defensive line dominated, which took the pressure off the linebackers and secondary in coverage.
Unfortunately, rookie running back Ashton Jeanty did not put together his best showing in his NFL debut. While he still impacted the game in various ways and got into the end zone at Gillette Stadium, the No. 6 overall pick from this year's draft did not exactly bring his best stuff.
Pete Carroll said Ashton Jeanty didn't bring his best in Raiders' Week 1 win
While most of Raider Nation acknowledged that he was stymied by poor run-blocking and still found ways to contribute, the reception from Jeanty's first NFL game was fairly mixed. Carroll, however, spoke to the media on Monday and put the onus on Jeanty, much to the approval of the fan base.
"Ashton, he was a little hyped, you know? He was jacked up, and he'll tell you, I would think, that he wishes he would have been a little more patient on some reads and things like that. That will come. He didn't look like that in preseason," Carroll said. "This game, you know, being out there and being called on to play, carry the ball, 19 times or whatever. Um, it was a little bit different for him. He'll play way better. He'll see things more clearly, and I know he's a little frustrated by that."
Essentially, Carroll is saying that Jeanty was not himself on Sunday and got too hyped up, given the fact that it was his first real professional game. The veteran coach seems confident that Jeanty will settle in and improve, and that he can have success despite the poor offensive line play.
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Jeanty was held to 38 yards on 19 carries on Sunday, which averaged out to just 2.0 yards per rush. This is far below his standard, but it should be noted that only one of the five starters on Las Vegas' offensive line earned even an average run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus.
The offensive line certainly needs more time to jell, which will make Jeanty's job easier. But he also needs to make some adjustments, as all rookies do, and Carroll gave Raider Nation a sigh of relief by ensuring that Jeanty is aware of them, and things will turn once he settles in.
In Week 2, the Raiders will host the Los Angeles Chargers, who gave up 98 rushing yards to a less-than-impressive slew of Kansas City Chiefs running backs on opening weekend. This is a prime opportunity for Jeanty to get back on track, and neither Carroll nor the fan base will be surprised when he does.