The Las Vegas Raiders won a shootout in Week 8, defeating the New York Jets 38-33 on Sunday. It was a critical Raiders victory that ended a four-game losing streak. Head coach Klint Kubiak made an unforeseen and bold change on offense that paid dividends.
Rookie running back Mike Washington Jr. replaced Ashton Jeanty as the lead back. Washington carried the football on 25 occasions, gaining 83 rushing yards while shouldering a heavy workload. Jeanty rushed just two times for nine yards by comparison.
Jeanty has not received 25+ carries in any game this season. Actually, the sophomore back has essentially seen his carries decline in every single game this season (outside of matching 10 attempts apiece in Weeks 5/6). Jeanty has only surpassed Washington's
rushing 83 yards once this campaign, and it came back in Week 1.
Washington only averaged 3.3 yards per attempt, but Jeanty has only really surpassed that number twice this season. Kubiak's decision was obviously intentional. It was also a result of assessing the tape.
Instead, the Raiders relegated Jeanty to passing-down duties almost on an exclusive basis. He did register three receptions for 64 receiving yards, including a 45-yard catch that was the Raiders' longest offensive play from scrimmage.
The move came after Jeanty made some controversial comments about the Jets' willingness to tackle leading up to Sunday's matchup. The Jets defense only had five opportunities to tackle Jeanty. That's how many offensive touches he was limited to.
It remains to be seen if Washington will remain in the lead-back role moving forward.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders make bold change that paid major dividends in Week 8
