Jeanty Shrugs Off Ankle Injury To Lead Raiders Victory

A Stunning Return

Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty showed no signs of struggle in his team's season opener. Despite missing more than two weeks of practice with an ankle injury, Jeanty helped lead his team to a 27-13 victory against the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium.

The running back injured his ankle on August 23 during training camp. The injury looked serious at the time, but Jeanty was confident he would play. He finished the game with 102 rushing yards and two touchdown catches.

With this performance, Jeanty joined Christian McCaffrey and Brian Westbrook as the only players to have multiple games with 100 or more rushing yards and two or more receiving touchdowns. Coach Klint Kubiak, who earned his first win as an NFL head coach, praised his player's determination. "What he did tonight is what we expected from him," Kubiak said.

Dominating on the Field

Jeanty averaged 4.4 yards per carry on 23 rushing attempts. He also picked up seven rushing first downs, which is the highest mark of his career. During the third quarter, he even leaped over a defender during a 15 yard run.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 21 of his 30 passes for 160 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. Cousins praised Jeanty's ability to turn short plays into big gains. With tight end Brock Bowers out of action following a knee procedure on Tuesday, Jeanty became a major target in the passing game. He caught all six of his targets for 45 yards.

His first touchdown came from a 13 yard pass in the second quarter. His second score was another 13 yard catch in the third quarter, aided by a block from fullback Connor Heyward. Wide receiver Tre Tucker called Jeanty a freak athlete after the game.

Controlling the Game

The Raiders used their strong running game to control the clock. Las Vegas held the ball for nearly 35 minutes, while Miami only had possession for about 25 minutes.

The Raiders put together two long drives that lasted over seven minutes each. This included a 16 play, 93 yard drive to start the game. Cousins noted that running the ball so effectively gave the team a major advantage. "Anytime we run the football like that, it puts us in with a wind at our back," Cousins said.