October 5, 2026 - 6:30 am

Ashton Jeanty isn’t feeling frustration four weeks into his second season for the Las Vegas Raiders, losers Sunday to the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium.

“For me, we want to play at the highest level we can as an offense,” Jeanty said. “(Rushing efficiency) is an area we’ve been lacking.”

For three weeks and counting.

The Raiders remain the least efficient rushing offense in the NFL after 26 carries for 72 yards — 2.8 yards per carry — in their 30-27 loss Kansas City. They’re averaging a league-worst 3.1 yards per carry with the fourth-most rushing attempts (119). Ineffective and undeterred amid their 3-1 start this season.

“Got to find that answer (to why we’ve been ineffective),” Las Vegas coach Klint Kubiak said. “Because that’ll be a big, big factor in us being a better team.”

Jeanty rushed Sunday against the Chiefs for 58 yards on 15 carries (3.9 yards per carry) for his second-most effective game this season. Last week against the New Orleans Saints he rushed 19 times for 56 yards (2.9 yards per carry) and the week before that against the Los Angeles Chargers he rushed 21 times for 48 yards (2.3 yards per carry).

A 102-yard, (4.4 yards per carry) Week 1 effort against the Miami Dolphins for Jeanty serves as proof of concept for the team’s potential in Kubiak’s zone-run offensive scheme.

“We’ve just go to be better. Simple as that,” Jeanty said, supplying six receptions for 68 yards. “Make the plays that’s out there if they’re there. It starts with us. It starts with me. Got to break tackles and just make bigger plays when they’re available.”

Jeanty downplayed the residual effects of his left ankle sprain sustained in August, but he checked out during the third quarter briefly, apparently with some pain. He didn’t run with the burst, speed or pop that counterpart Kenneth Walker flashed (22 carries, 177 yards and two touchdowns), though he found a better rhythm in the second half with 11 carries for 43 yards.

Added Jeanty, who has 264 rushing yards this season on 78 carries (3.4 yards per carry): “Definitely started to feel good in the (second half). Always good to make plays for the team. … I’m going to keep getting better and stronger. (My ankle) is getting stronger and I feel like I’m going to be 100 percent.”

Backup running back Mike Washington Jr. — whose five-carry, 54-yard effort against New Orleans included a 36-yard touchdown run to salvage an otherwise stale showing for the rushing offense — was limited by Kansas City to 18 yards on nine carries, including an 11-yard, third-quarter run.

Fullback Connor Heyward’s two carries lost 4 yards.

Offense in wins against New Orleans and Los Angeles was driven by quarterback Kirk Cousins, who kept the Raiders afloat against the Chiefs with 365 passing yards.

While noting schematics are “above my pay grade” when asked about activating effective rushing offense, left guard Spencer Burford opined the Raiders “just need to clean up the minute details” because those can “be the difference between a 30-yard gain and an 8-yard gain.”

Added Burford, asked afterward if opponents are focused on stopping the run: “Maybe a read here or there or a fall-out block here or a fall-out block there. So, just coming in and keep honing in on those details and being more fine-tuned. … (Opponents) know what we have. Everybody knows what we have and what we can be. Everybody understands that. … We’re going to to back to the drawing table. We’re going to adjust and we’re going to get it going for sure.

“We don’t have a choice.”

Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on X.