A rookie’s incredible performance couldn’t stop the Raiders’ skid

HOUSTON (AP) — Ashton Jeanty’s 188 yards of offense Sunday against the Houston Texans rank second only to Bo Jackson by a Raiders rookie.

His huge game wasn’t enough for Las Vegas in a 23-21 loss that extended the team’s skid to nine games and dropped it to 2-13.

“I want to win,” Jeanty said. “Whether I have a big game and we lose or a bad game and we lose, I’d rather win.”

Jeanty, the former Boise State star drafted sixth overall, had 24 carries for 128 yards with a touchdown run and added a 60-yard touchdown reception for the second most yards by a rookie in franchise history behind the 235 yards Jackson gained against Seattle in 1987.

“It was a beautiful day to watch Ashton,” coach Pete Carroll said. “His talent is so obvious to me and anyone who has watched him. He’s just really hard to tackle. Guys just fall off of him, and he just keeps striding. It was great to see him have that much space and be able to do his thing.”

Jeanty put the Raiders on top when he grabbed a pass at about the 35 and dashed into the end zone, slipping out of a tackle on the way, for the 60-yard score with about 9 1/2 minutes left in the third.

“I was real happy,” he said. “It’s something I haven’t been able to do as much. I’ve had a couple drops but kept my confidence up and knew I would get another opportunity to showcase that I can catch the ball.”

The score was the longest touchdown reception by a Raiders running back since Jamize Olawale had a 75-yard TD catch against Houston in 2016. He joined Alvin Kamara (2017) and Christian McCaffrey (2017) as the only rookie running backs since 1970 to have five receiving touchdowns.

Jeanty cut the lead to 23-21 when he scored on a 51-yard run with about 5 1/2 minutes left. He burst through the line before shedding a defender and waltzing into the end zone.

Houston faced third-and-20 at its 7 after that when Darien Porter was flagged for pass interference on Nico Collins to give the Texans a first down. Collins grabbed a 24-yard reception on the first play after the two-minute warning and Houston ran out the clock for the win.

It was Jeanty’s second-highest rushing total of the season behind the 138 yards he gained against the Bears in September. Perhaps most impressive about his day is that it came against a Texans defense that entered the game ranked first in the NFL in yards allowed per game.

“I’ve never been in the game and actually like stopped and was like: ‘man this man’s a dog,’” Houston defensive end Will Anderson Jr. said. “A ton of respect for him. He’s going to be a really good player in this league. Tough back, tough runner, hard to bring down. He’s going to do a lot of great things in this league.”

Quarterback Geno Smith raved about the way Jeanty, who led the nation with 2,601 yards rushing last season at Boise State, has carried himself this season amid the team’s struggles.

“Ashton is not only a great player but an outstanding human being,” Smith said. “The way that he works every day, the way that he puts his head down. We’ve been through a lot this season, but he’s been so mature about it. Games like today are what we expect to see from him.”

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL