Ashton Jeanty arrived in Las Vegas with much fanfare. A Heisman campaign during his final year at Boise State may have fallen short, but Jeanty looked every bit the part of a future NFL star during his time on the blue turf, and it led to him being a first-round selection by the Raiders.
But through his first three NFL games, the production had yet to follow. Jeanty gained just 144 yards on 47 attempts through those first three contests — an average of 3.1 yards per attempt — had one touchdown to his credit, and had yet to break 100 yards in a game.
Is the Jeanty breakout game happening before our eyes?
In the first half of Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears, Jeanty reached the end zone for the first time as a receiver, hauling in this throw from Geno Smith to stake the Raiders to a 7-3 lead:
But that was not the kind of play Raiders fans were waiting to see.
This is the kind of play Raiders fans were waiting to see:
Jeanty’s 64-yard touchdown against Chicago had exactly what the Raiders drafted him for. The rookie running back breaks through traffic at the line of scrimmage, accelerates into the secondary for a huge gain, and, for good measure, adds another broken tackle well downfield on his way to the end zone.
Here is another look at Jeanty’s first big run in the NFL:
Jeanty was not done, as he soon went over 100 rushing yards for the first time in his NFL career in the second half.
He reached the end zone for a third time, on this short throw from Smith in the third quarter:
That third touchdown also moved Jeanty into Raiders’ history. He became the first rookie to score three touchdowns in a game since the 1987 season.
The rookie that accomplished that feat back during the 1987 campaign?
None other than Bo Jackson.
From the moment he walked across the stage at Lambeau Field on the first night of the 2025 NFL Draft, Raiders fans were dreaming of his first big run.
It sure seemed like Jeanty was primed for a breakout game against a poor Bears run defense, and he’s delivering. Credit Pete Carroll for riding his rookie back.
Sunday against the Bears, they got to see it.
