HENDERSON, Nev. -- The Las Vegas Raiders opened their Week 4 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs with plenty of momentum. Four plays in, and they already were on the scoreboard when quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ian Thomas.
The Raiders tried to replicate that success on their second drive, but were unsuccessful.
With 2:17 to go in the first quarter and the game tied at seven, Cousins completed a 15-yard pass to tight end Michael Mayer, then coach Klint Kubiak turned to the run game to keep the chains moving, but they didn’t. Rookie running back Mike Washington Jr. was stopped for a one-yard attempt before Chiefs rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane wrapped up running back Ashton Jeanty for no gain. On third-and-9, Cousins threw an incomplete pass, which forced the Raiders to punt.
In the Raiders’ 30-27 loss to the Chiefs last Sunday, they went toe-to-toe with a team that has won nine of the past 10 AFC West titles. But the Raiders’ upset attempt failed because of more than a questionable fourth-down decision from Kubiak or Dareke Young’s kick return fumble. For the third straight week, Las Vegas failed to establish a consistent run game, totaling 72 yards.
The Raiders have made significant offensive strides; they rank eighth in the league in points per game (28.7) and Cousins has thrown a league-high 11 touchdowns. However, their rushing attack has been a problem. Entering the season, the Raiders’ run game was meant to be their biggest strength. Instead, their production has mirrored last year when they ranked last in nearly every rushing metric.
Multiple factors have contributed to Las Vegas’ faulty rushing attack, from playcalling to Jeanty, their top running back and 2025 first-round pick, playing through an ankle injury. Jeanty was a limited participant in Thursday’s practice due to an ankle and foot injury. If the Raiders want to show their strong first month wasn’t a fluke, they will need to improve their rushing numbers, starting Sunday afternoon against the New England Patriots (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
“I think we’ve just got to be better. Simple as that,” Jeanty said. “Make the plays that are out there. ... It starts with us. Starts with me. Got to break tackles and make bigger plays when they’re available.”
FIXING THE RUN game was a big part of the Raiders’ preparation ahead of the season. In the past three seasons, Las Vegas ranked last in rushing yards per game (82.7) and yards per attempt (3.6).
This year was meant to be a different story. Jeanty was entering Year 2 and more experienced. Kubiak brought in a proven outside zone run scheme. The Raiders signed center Tyler Linderbaum, who is one of the better run blockers at his position. And Washington showed throughout training camp that he could be capable of being a reliable second option in the backfield.
The Raiders didn’t have issues running the rock in Week 1’s victory over the Miami Dolphins. They totaled 137 rushing yards, with Jeanty recording 102 yards on 23 attempts. Since then, Las Vegas’s numbers have declined.
In the past three weeks, the team has ranked 32nd in yards per attempt (three), 28th in yards per game (80.7), 30th in rushing first downs (11) and tied for 26th in attempts for 10-plus yards (four).
“Going back to that first game [against Miami], just as a whole unit, we played better,” Kubiak said. “We were more efficient running the football, and that’s something we got to get back to. So, it’s something that we’re diligent about.”
Jeanty, who was expected to make a jump in Year 2, has struggled as well. He rushed for 58 yards against the Chiefs. He has been held to under 60 rushing yards in five of his past 10 games dating back to his rookie season.
Through four games, Jeanty has a rush success rate of 35.9% and a rush EPA of minus-23.2. Now, Jeanty’s inconsistent production is not all on him. He has been playing through an ankle injury, which he suffered near the end of training camp.
He said after the loss to Kansas City that the injury hasn’t nagged him, but he expects to be 100% healthy real soon.
“I’m going to continue to keep getting better and stronger,” Jeanty said.
Yes, Jeanty has to improve his vision and take advantage of open lanes whenever they appear. At the same time, the run blocking has to be cleaned up. Against Kansas City, Jeanty was stopped for no gain or a loss of yards on six attempts. Meanwhile, Washington had three of his nine attempts result in zero or fewer yards.
Las Vegas is 30th in yards before first contact per attempt (1.34), and has the most carries for zero or negative yards (29).
“You want to hit a home run every single time, but it’s not going to happen,” Linderbaum said. “It’s how many times can we get to second-and-6 [and] second-and-5. That’s the challenge. ... At the end of the day, that falls on the [offensive] line.”
AFTER THE RAIDERS’ first loss of the season, Kubiak said they need to find answers for their inconsistent rushing attack. Kubiak is more than capable of finding those answers.
When Kubiak was the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks last season, the run game started slow before finding a groove and becoming instrumental in their Super Bowl LX victory over New England.
They averaged 3.6 rushing yards per attempt and had a success rate of 37.4% from Weeks 1-4. From Week 5 to the end of the season, the Seahawks averaged 4.3 yards per attempt, a success rate of 41.6% and recorded 14 rushing touchdowns.
In Las Vegas, Kubiak admitted that he needs to scheme up better plays to get the run game flowing. There were times against the Chiefs when the Raiders’ pre-snap motion forced a defender to move over a gap, freeing them up to stop the run.
Raiders frequently face stacked boxes (eight or more defenders at the line of scrimmage), which has also been a challenge. Las Vegas has faced stacked boxes on 30.3% of its run plays -- the fourth-highest percentage.
The reasons behind opponents loading up the box are respect for Jeanty and the Raiders utilizing heavy personnel groupings at a high volume. With Kubiak using multiple tight end and running back formations, it requires the opposing defense to bring more defenders to the line of scrimmage.
Las Vegas has seen success in the passing game when using heavy personnel groupings. But that success hasn’t translated to the run game. The Raiders are tied with the Buffalo Bills for the most carries against stacked boxes (nine per game). However, they are 14th in yards per carry (2.3) and 26th in success rate (27.8%).
“It just becomes a little bit of the math of how many players are down inside the tight end box, and do we have angles, do we have numbers or don’t we? And it changes play to play,” Cousins said. “... Teams are always going to be in that cat-and-mouse game a little bit of how you’re trying to defend or how you’re trying to attack the defense.”
The Raiders still believe the run game can be the identity of the offense despite their early struggles to find consistency. Once they gain more momentum in their rushing attack, they will be even more dangerous on play-action plays.
Las Vegas knows it has the right players and coaches in the building to improve its run production. As a whole, they are confident that things will turn around, and hope that shift comes against the Patriots.
“We got a great opportunity to go out there and do great things,” Jeanty said.