The Raiders left Week 5 with a loss to the New England Patriots, but Ashton Jeanty still managed to send a message about what he was willing to do on Sunday. Even dealing with multiple injuries, he suited up and made it clear he wasn’t planning to sit this one out unless he absolutely had to.
“Unless I can't run, jump, I'm playing. Football is a tough game.
You're never gonna play feeling 100 percent. So at the end of the day, I just want to go out there and do my best for my teammates and whatever it takes,” Jeanty said via Sam Warren of The Athletic.
Head coach Klint Kubiak backed that up after the game and acknowledged Jeanty was not at full strength.
“Yes. Ashton is beat up. And it's a testament to how tough he is that he's out there playing today for his teammates,” Kubiak said.
That kind of decision isn’t unusual this time of year, when plenty of players are grinding through bumps and bruises just to get on the field. The concern for Las Vegas is whether Jeanty can keep going without turning those injuries into something worse.
For now, the Raiders are handling him carefully, and Mike Washington Jr. is there as the backup after playing well all season.
The loss was Las Vegas’ second straight, and the next stop is a showdown with the Buffalo Bills. The Raiders are going to need every bit of help they can get on offense to stay with them, and the hope is that Jeanty is available and ready to go.
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