HENDERSON, Nev. -- What was meant to be the foundation of the Las Vegas Raiders' offense has been a weakness.
The Raiders vowed to be a run-heavy offense, improving on one of the worst rushing attacks in the league in 2024. But through two games, the Raiders' run game has resembled more of last year's effort. Heading into Sunday's road matchup against the Washington Commanders, Las Vegas is 28th in attempts (43), 31st in yards per game (62.0) and tied for 29th in rushing first downs (8).
Several factors have contributed to the Raiders' struggles, including inconsistent run blocking and the utilization of rookie running back Ashton Jeanty. One thing is clear: If Las Vegas wants to reach its full offensive potential, the team must find consistency in the run game.
"[Offensive coordinator] Chip [Kelly] has always been a guy that's run the ball a lot, and me too, and so we see eye to eye on that," coach Pete Carroll said. "The numbers haven't been as good as we want so far in the first two games. ... We want more of [Jeanty]. He ran very well when he had the ball, and so we just needed to get more snaps."
Jeanty's usage has been in question. On Las Vegas' second play against the Los Angeles Chargers, the No. 6 overall pick broke loose for a 13-yard carry. He cut left and pushed down Chargers safety Alohi Gilman before getting tackled at the Raiders' 35-yard line.
But Jeanty didn't touch the ball again until the 11th play on Monday night -- a rushing attempt that resulted in minus-5 yards on the third offensive drive.
Kelly said the score of the game dictated Jeanty's usage on Monday night. The Raiders trailed by 11 points at halftime. Los Angeles then opened up the third quarter with a 12-play, 72-yard scoring drive that took 7:30 off the game clock.
The Raiders responded with a 19-play scoring drive that carried over into the fourth quarter. But due to a holding penalty in the red zone on left guard Dylan Parham, they were forced to settle for a field goal and revert to their two-minute offense despite 11:19 remaining in regulation.
"When you look at the run-pass breakdowns by game, it's really what is the situation that presents itself," Kelly said.
Two games into Jeanty's NFL career, he is first among rookie running backs in carries (30) and second in yards (81). Jeanty hasn't had many of the big run plays that made him one of the standout players in college football. He has just two carries of at least 10 yards.
Still, he says he is not worried about his production, remaining confident that his numbers will increase.
"I think it's really rare that a guy comes in and is just flat out balling off the rip. So I'm not feeling any type of way towards it," Jeanty said. "I need to get better. And the big-time performances that everybody might be expecting, those will come."
Kelly said the team has been cautious with Jeanty in what will be a long season. He doesn't want to add any wear and tear to Jeanty's body so that the Heisman Trophy finalist can be at full strength for the entire year.
Jeanty's snap count dropped from 54 in Week 1 to 39 in Week 2.
"If you play [tight end] Brock [Bowers] and Ashton, or any of those guys, every play in every game, by the time you get to Game 8, you're not going to have guys left, because there's a certain amount of plays," Kelly said. "We're not sitting out games here, but I think you have to be conscious of it over the course of 17 games. If some guys [are] carrying the ball 30 times a game, they only have so many carries in a season."
Kelly referred to his time as the offensive coordinator at Ohio State when the team split carries between TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins.
In 16 games, Henderson averaged nine carries while Judkins averaged 12.1 to help the Buckeyes win a national title last season. Jeanty, on the other hand, averaged 26.7 carries per game at Boise State, since he was the focal point of the offense.
"They were both 1,000-yard rushers, but neither had 20 carries in a game. We knew from the beginning of the season to the end of the season that we needed to protect these guys."
Carroll expects Jeanty's workload to increase in the coming weeks. He wants Jeanty to play eight to nine more snaps so that he can get around 20 carries in a game.
Jeanty said he's looking forward to the opportunity for more reps.
"I don't think you draft a guy like me to not give me carries and touches," Jeanty said. "I'm ready for the responsibility."
But increasing Jeanty's workload won't completely solve the team's issues in the run game. The offensive line has to step up as well.
The unit hasn't provided much support, ranking last in the league in run block win rate (62%) entering Week 3. Last season, the Raiders were 22nd in run block win rate (71%).
"We definitely can be better, and we will in time," Carroll said. "There are so many intricacies about what goes on up front, and it's identification, then the proper communication, and then the execution of it. They have to go in sequence. ...That's different than other positions. And so, it always takes time."