It’s been a rollercoaster ride for the Las Vegas Raiders’ offense in Year 1 with Chip Kelly as the team’s offensive coordinator. One of the criticisms aimed at Kelly has been his handling of rookie running back Ashton Jeanty.
A few weeks ago, critics called out Kelly for changing Jeanty’s stance, but the player has since switched back and regained his form after a slow start to the 2025 NFL season. Nonetheless, Kelly is again under fire for his usage of Jeanty, as the Raiders’ young star only had 13 carries in the 30-29 Week 9 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 2.
Amid the criticism, the Raiders coach defended himself, noting how much Las Vegas relies on Jeanty as a focal point of their offense.
“I think he leads the league in rookie rushing, doesn’t he? Carries,” Kelly told reporters on November 4 (h/t Vegas Sports Today). “I think everything we do game plan-wise is about winning that game. It’s not about how many touches. Maybe some fantasy people are a little disturbed, but we’re not coaching for fantasy people.
“We’re just trying to win games. He’s our No. 1 back, and we’re running the ball; he’s running a bit in the pass game the other day, and he’s starting to be involved in that and trying to get him more involved in that way. He’s continuing to grow; he’s doing a heck of a job. Really excited that we have him.”
### Brock Bowers Is a Bright Spot in the Raiders Offense
Whether Jeanty will get more touches running the football remains to be seen, but Brock Bowers is one player getting his share of targets after returning from injury. The Georgia product recorded 12 receptions for 127 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Although Bowers’s individual performance was fantastic, he didn’t hold back on how it felt to return to the field in a Raiders loss.
“It’s not a great feeling,” Bowers said postgame (h/t Vegas Sports Today). “You want to come back in here and celebrate with the guys. It sucks. You can’t celebrate anything. I think we’re definitely still working on finding that identity, especially now that we’re getting everyone back to full strength. So I’m just excited to see what the rest of the year holds.”
### Raiders Are Leaning Heavily on Brock Bowers
Giving Jeanty more touches and leaning on the run game should ease some pressure on veteran quarterback Geno Smith. Nonetheless, with Bowers back in the lineup for Las Vegas, Smith also has a dependable target over the middle.
At times, it even seemed like the veteran quarterback was locked in on Bowers, but the young pass catcher rewarded that confidence with strong play.
“He’s one of the best players on our team, one of the best players in the NFL,” Geno Smith said postgame (h/t Raiders.com). “He just makes my job so easy; he does everything so well. He made some phenomenal catches [on November 2].
“A lot of those catches a lot of guys don’t make. You can just see his impact on the game when he’s out there. He’s such a dynamic player. At one point, they were double-teaming him, triple-teaming him trying to stop him and that just opens the field for the rest of the guys.”
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