Ashton Jeanty, Pete Carroll Preach Same Message About Raiders Rookie's Struggles

On his first carry of the game, Ashton Jeanty powered through a hole paved by the left side of the Raiders offensive line, then trucked through Chargers safety Alohi Gilman en route to a 13-yard gain. It was a run reminiscent of many highlight-reel plays he had authored during his decorated college career at Boise State.

Unfortunately for both Jeanty and the Raiders, such moments were few and far between in the team's 20-9 loss to the Chargers, in which the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 draft tallied just 43 rushing yards on 11 carries, the 13-yarder representing his longest run of the night.

And while the offensive struggles can hardly be pinned on Jeanty—quarterback Geno Smith was intercepted three times—it was far from the type of performance Las Vegas expected when they used premium draft capital to select Jeanty with an eye at improving last year's league-worst rushing attack.

But the Raiders aren't worried.

"We're just getting started. We're just getting started," Carroll said of Jeanty after the game. "He's breaking into the NFL. He's figuring it out. What'd he have? Eleven something carries tonight? Is that what he had? He'll get more. That'll come. But we're gonna have to run the football more effectively. We gotta get more yards. We only had 50 or 60 yards rushing.

"That's not enough. We've gotta get more than that."

Jeanty, for his part, felt he left some plays on the field—and also thinks there may be a bit of an adjustment period needed going from the college game to the pros.

"Last week it was on me, I didn't go a good job of reading the plays. I'll put it on myself again this week," Jeanty told the team website. "Could've broke for bigger on some runs and O-line did their thing. I've just got to continue to get better so I can be a game-changer for us.

"Just getting used to the speed, honestly. Last week kind of felt like I was moving a little slower, this week felt better. Still not there yet, but once it happens, it will be good."

But fortunately for Jeanty, Carroll and the Raiders plan to continue giving him carries as he begins to pick up the speed of pro football.

"I'd like to see that just as well as you would," Carroll said of a Jeanty breakout. "But as far as pushing the issue with him, trying to get him 25 carries or something like that—we're breaking him in. So, that'll come."

Jeanty and the Raiders take on the Commanders in Week 3.