The Las Vegas Raiders had a strong showing against the Houston Texans in Week 16 and lost by just two points to a contending team with the No. 1 defense in the National Football League.
The Raiders have struggled offensively all season long for various reasons. They are lowest-scoring offense in the league (14.5 points per game) and have been rough to watch for the most part.
Head coach Pete Carroll had lofty expectations for this season and believed his team could be playoff contenders in his first season. Obviously, this year hasn’t gone the way Carroll wanted or expected and a big reason for that is quarterback Geno Smith.
Smith is tied for the league-lead in interceptions (15) and has been sacked the most times in the NFL (52). However, he had one of his best performances against the Texans. He completed 16 of 23 passes for 201 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Another offensive player who had a great performance is rookie running back Ashton Jeanty. He rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries as well as leading the team in receiving with one lengthy touchdown reception for 60 yards.
ESPN’s Ryan McFadden dubbed Jeanty as the Raiders’ best rookie this season.
“Jeanty, the No. 6 pick, hasn't had the season he and many others expected. But his performance against the Texans (188 total yards and two touchdowns) was a reminder of why the Raiders drafted him so high,” McFadden wrote Tuesday. “Despite the Raiders' run-blocking struggles, Jeanty has still gained 828 yards and 10 total touchdowns. ‘I'm sure there's people questioning and doubting [Jeanty],’ coach Pete Carroll said Sunday. ‘It can mount on a young guy, can mount on anybody. For him to show like that, it's a beautiful expression of who he is and what he's all about.’”
Jeanty is strong after contact, but because his offensive line is one of the worst in the league, he gets contacted at or behind the line of scrimmage often. Those runs usually don’t amount to big gains. Put Jeanty behind even an average offensive line and he will explode.
Las Vegas’ offensive line is riddled with injuries, but even before they lost several starting linemen, that unit wasn’t doing much to help Smith and Jeanty.
Smith, Jeanty and the Raiders will look to build off their strong performances against a stout Houston defense in a Week 17 matchup against the New York Giants.