LAS VEGAS — The Las Vegas Raiders are 3-1, Kirk Cousins has the passing game moving and Brock Bowers is quickly becoming one of the offense’s most dangerous weapons.
But there’s one major problem Klint Kubiak has to solve. The Raiders can’t run the football. Four games into the season, Las Vegas is averaging just 3.1 yards per carry, the worst mark in the NFL. The Raiders’ 93 rushing yards per game, rushing success rate and EPA per rushing play also rank near the bottom of the league.
That’s not what anyone envisioned when Kubiak arrived in Las Vegas. It certainly isn’t what the Raiders expected from Ashton Jeanty in Year 2. For one afternoon, it appeared everything had changed. Jeanty rushed for 102 yards on 23 carries in the Raiders’ 27-13 season-opening victory over Miami.
Since then?
48 yards against the Chargers.
56 against New Orleans.
58 against Kansas City.
Jeanty enters Week 5 with 264 yards on 78 carries, averaging 3.4 yards per attempt. Even more surprising, he has yet to score a rushing touchdown. That doesn’t mean Jeanty has suddenly forgotten how to run. This is bigger than one player.
Raiders Aren’t Creating Enough Room
The most troubling number may be Las Vegas’ 24.4% run-stuff rate, which ranks last in the NFL. Too many rushing attempts are being disrupted before they have an opportunity to develop.
That’s an offensive-line issue. It’s a scheme issue. It’s something Kubiak has to fix. The Raiders drafted Jeanty sixth overall in 2025 because they believed he could become a centerpiece of their offense. After rushing for 975 yards as a rookie, the expectation was that an improved offensive structure would unlock another level. Instead, Las Vegas is still searching for answers.
Cousins Can’t Have to Do Everything
Cousins threw the football 52 times against Kansas City. He finished with 365 yards and two touchdowns, but that’s not how Kubiak wants to play every week.
A legitimate running game would take pressure off Cousins, create better opportunities for Bowers and Michael Mayer and make Kubiak’s play-action concepts significantly more dangerous.
Most importantly, it would give Las Vegas another way to win. Right now, opposing defenses don’t have enough reason to fear the Raiders on the ground. That has to change. The good news is Las Vegas is still 3-1 despite its rushing struggles. The bad news? Eventually, the inability to run the football will cost them games.
It may have already contributed to one against Kansas City. The Raiders don’t necessarily need Jeanty to carry the offense. But if they want to become a legitimate AFC contender, they need defenses to believe he can.
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Robert LaMar is a Deputy Editor for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
