Ashton Jeanty entered the Raiders’ season finale needing 90 yards from scrimmage to surpass Josh Jacobs for the most by a rookie in franchise history. He got there on a 6-yard run midway through the fourth quarter, finishing with 87 rushing yards and 7 receiving yards on three catches. Jeanty ended his debut season with 1,321 total yards, leading all NFL rookies in rushing with 975 yards. The No. 6 pick in the 2025 draft fell 112 yards short of 1,000 on the ground.
Jacobs had held the record at 1,316 combined yards in 13 games during his 2019 rookie campaign. Jeanty, a Boise State product who produced one of the best seasons in college football history before turning pro, acknowledged the difficulty of transitioning from a winning program to a team that finished with the top pick in the 2026 draft.
“I feel like I learned a lot about myself in the face of adversity,” Jeanty said. “Just being able to continue to stay true to myself and continue to work no matter what. Obviously, I came from college with one of my best seasons ever and one of the best seasons in the history of the school and to coming here and being pretty bad. It’s a big switch, but I feel like I was able to handle it.”
Coach Pete Carroll praised Jeanty’s durability and toughness. The rookie became the first Raiders first-year player to reach 300 scrimmage touches in a season, and just the second NFL rookie to do so this decade (Najee Harris, 2021).
“I thought he had a great year,” Carroll said. “I think he maximized the opportunities that he had. He came through in so many ways. It just shows you, not just the toughness, but the endurance, too. He played all year long.”
Defense dominates in finale
The Raiders held the Chiefs to 168 total yards, a season low for an opponent and the fewest allowed since Week 16 of 2021. They surrendered just 84 passing yards, the lowest since 2019, and recorded eight sacks — their most since Week 9 of 2023. Kansas City averaged only 2.7 yards per play, the best mark for the Raiders since 2012.
Linebacker Jamal Adams noted the pass rush stepped up without star Maxx Crosby. The Raiders finished the season 11th in yards per play allowed (5.0) and fourth in yards per carry allowed (3.9).
Eichenberg, White set marks
Linebacker Tommy Eichenberg recorded two special teams tackles in the game, bringing his season total to 23 — third in the NFL and the most by a Raider since at least 1994.
Devin White had six tackles Sunday to finish with a franchise-record 174 tackles in his first season with the team, second in the league behind Seattle’s Jordyn Brooks (183). White also posted 1.5 sacks, joining Demario Davis as one of two players since 2019 with at least 700 tackles and 25 sacks. He and Brian Urlacher are the only players in league history to reach 700 tackles and 25 sacks within their first seven seasons.
