The Las Vegas Raiders’ running game has become one of the weakest in the league, averaging 79.2 yards per contest through six games and ranking 30th overall.
That total of 475 rushing yards has left the offense one-dimensional at times, even as the team sits at 3-3 after a three-game skid.
In Sunday’s 33-30 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Raiders managed just 65 yards on the ground. Starting running back Ashton Jeanty carried 10 times for 22 yards and scored his first rushing touchdown of the season, but the output continued a recent slide.
Over the past two weeks, Jeanty has 20 carries for 49 yards. For the season he has 98 attempts for 313 yards and one touchdown, an average of 3.2 yards per carry. He has also caught 26 passes for 251 yards and two scores, providing value in the passing game even as the run production lags.
Rookie Mike Washington Jr., selected in the fourth round of the 2026 draft, has produced more efficiently when given chances. He entered the Bills game with a season average near five yards per carry and finished with nine rushes for 43 yards (4.8 average).
On the year Washington has 34 carries for 168 yards and one touchdown, averaging 4.9 yards per attempt, along with three receptions for 11 yards.
Fox Sports analyst Ralph Vacchiano wrote that the Raiders should consider a change at the position.
“Even after three straight losses, the Raiders (3-3) aren’t going to send QB Kirk Cousins to the bench, certainly not after his 313-yard performance in a 33-30 loss to the Bills,” Vacchiano wrote.
“But it’s time for them to bench RB Ashton Jeanty, who has never been close to what everyone thought he’d be when he was the sixth pick of last year’s draft. He had just 22 yards on 10 carries on Sunday, giving him just 49 yards on 20 carries over the past two weeks. Meanwhile, Mike Washington Jr., the Raiders’ fourth-round pick, had nine carries for 43 yards against the Bills. And at 4.8 yards per carry, he looks like he’s playing the game at a different speed than Jeanty ever has. So, since Jeanty is nursing foot and ankle injuries anyway, they should let him do that on the sidelines and give Washington a bigger workload, at least for a few weeks. Maybe that might give the Raiders’ terrible ground game the boost it needs to keep their playoff hopes alive.”
Jeanty, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 draft out of Boise State, has dealt with foot and ankle issues that limited him in practice earlier this month and required management during games.
The Raiders have not committed to a reduced role for him, and coach Klint Kubiak has previously expressed excitement about both backs sharing the workload.
The team’s overall rushing average of 3.0 yards per carry ranks near the bottom of the league, contributing to a unit that has been outgained on the ground by nearly 100 yards per game on average by opponents in some stretches.
Meanwhile, quarterback Kirk Cousins has provided a reliable passing attack, throwing for more than 1,500 yards and keeping the offense competitive in close games.
The Raiders face the Los Angeles Rams next, another matchup against a contender that will likely test whether the ground game can improve without a change in personnel or emphasis.
Washington’s higher efficiency and explosive potential in limited work have fueled the discussion about increased carries, while Jeanty’s volume remains the highest on the roster.
Any decision on playing time would also factor in Jeanty’s injury status and the offensive line’s run blocking, which has drawn scrutiny alongside individual performance.
The Raiders’ path to remaining in the AFC West race depends in part on generating more consistent production between the tackles as the schedule continues.
