The Las Vegas Raiders’ nightmare 2025 NFL season hit rock bottom with yet another humiliating defeat—a 33-16 thrashing at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys on November 17 at Allegiant Stadium. This marked their fourth straight loss, plunging the team deeper into irrelevance and sparking heated debates about their offseason strategy. But amid the chaos, one glaring issue stole the spotlight: the utter failure of their ground attack, which has left fans and analysts scratching their heads in disbelief.
In a performance that can only be described as anemic, the Raiders scraped together a measly 27 rushing yards for the entire game. Star rookie Ashton Jeanty, the team’s highly touted sixth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, was shockingly invisible. Handed the ball just six times, he managed a paltry seven yards—barely enough to move the chains, let alone ignite the offense. It’s a far cry from the explosive playmaker many envisioned when Las Vegas snatched him from Boise State, expecting him to be the savior of their sputtering run game.
The hype surrounding Jeanty was immense. Draft experts pegged him as a generational talent, a dynamic back who could single-handedly transform the Raiders’ fortunes. Yet, halfway through the season, he’s been reduced to a footnote in game plans, shackled by an offensive line that’s more sieve than shield. This glaring mismatch has ignited a firestorm of criticism, with NBC Sports NFL insider Mike Florio leading the charge on the November 18 episode of “Pro Football Talk Live.”
Florio didn’t mince words, drawing a stinging parallel to past NFL blunders. “You use the sixth overall pick on a player, and it reminded me of when the Jets signed Le’Veon Bell,” he declared. “You don’t build a team from the outside in; you build it from the inside out. You don’t go get a potential game-breaking running back if you don’t have the pieces to get the most out of them.” He hammered home the point: without a solid offensive line, even the most talented backs falter. “If you don’t have an offensive line, it doesn’t matter. And he’s not Barry Sanders. Barry Sanders didn’t need an offensive line.”
Florio went deeper, questioning Jeanty’s NFL readiness by referencing pre-draft scrutiny. “I remember as the draft was approaching, Chris Simms pointed out Ashton Jeanty looked dominant, but when you put him up against Penn State, it wasn’t the same as it was against the teams Boise State usually plays,” he explained. “So you bring him to the NFL, and maybe he’s not going to be that game breaker. You need the other pieces in place to let a great running back be great.” It’s a brutal assessment that underscores the Raiders’ gamble: betting big on flash without fortifying the foundation.
Should the Raiders Regret Drafting Ashton Jeanty?
Absolutely, according to Florio, who argued that Las Vegas squandered a golden opportunity at the draft table. Instead of locking in on Jeanty, they could have played the long game. “They could have traded down,” Florio suggested. “When you look at the holes on that roster, they were in a prime spot with the sixth pick. Trade down. Get more picks. Get more players. Build your team from the inside out, not the outside in. And in hindsight, that really was a mistake.”
Hindsight is 20/20, but the Raiders’ roster woes are undeniable. With gaping voids across the board—especially up front—drafting a running back who thrives on blocking schemes feels like putting the cart before the horse. Jeanty’s underwhelming rookie campaign isn’t just a personal setback; it’s a symptom of systemic failure, leaving the franchise mired in mediocrity and fans demanding accountability from the front office.
Ashton Jeanty Sounds Off After Latest Raiders Loss
As the playoffs slip further out of reach, the Raiders’ priority should shift to nurturing their young talent for a brighter 2026. But even that seems like wishful thinking. Jeanty, for one, has been starved of reps, turning what should be a developmental season into a frustrating limbo. After the Cowboys debacle, the soft-spoken rookie opened up about his limited role and the mental toll it’s taking.
“I don’t call the plays,” Jeanty told reporters in the postgame locker room, his frustration evident but tempered with resilience. “I mean, that’s up to the guys upstairs. So I just take whatever I get… Just continue to trust in my faith, trust in God and his plan for me. Obviously it’s not going the way I want it to, but it’s already written, and whatever is in the future will happen, but I just got to continue to keep going and finish the year strong.”
Jeanty’s words carry a mix of humility and quiet defiance, a reminder that beneath the stats lies a player eager to prove his worth. But with the Raiders’ offense in disarray, how long can he hold on to that optimism? As the season limps toward its end, Las Vegas faces a reckoning: was the Jeanty pick a bold stroke of genius or a spectacular misfire? The evidence so far points to the latter, and the fallout could reshape the franchise for years to come.