The Las Vegas Raiders opened the 2026 season with a win, and running back Ashton Jeanty made sure nobody forgot his name.

The second-year back finished with 102 rushing yards, over 40 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns in a statement performance against the Miami Dolphins. Raiders fans who questioned the pick after a rocky 2025 campaign got their answer on Sunday.

Ashton Jeanty is already showing up in the record books

The production alone would have been enough to celebrate, but the historical context makes it even better. Jeanty notched his third career 100-yard rushing game. According to the Raiders’ PR team, his three 100-yard games are the third most in franchise history among running backs in their first 18 career games, trailing only Josh Jacobs with five and Marcus Allen with four.

He also recorded his second career game with 100 rushing yards and two receiving touchdowns, tying Christian McCaffrey and Brian Westbrook for the most such games in NFL history. That is a pretty ridiculous feat for a player entering just his second professional season.

Context matters, but this was still impressive

Now, take everything with a grain of salt. The Dolphins are probably one of the worst teams in the NFL. But the performance still matters because of what it represented. Last year under Pete Carroll, the Raiders wasted a significant chunk of Jeanty’s rookie season by constantly letting him get hit behind the line of scrimmage. The offensive line play and scheme didn’t help him.

Even so, Jeanty still nearly hit 1,000 rushing yards and tallied 1,300 scrimmage yards in 2025. Many people questioned whether Vegas should have drafted him when it did, and whether the team was ready for a running back. Maybe not last year, but they are this year.

Kubiak’s offense is unlocking Jeanty’s full potential

This time around, the Raiders unleashed Jeanty in a way Carroll never could. He got the bulk of the carries with no snap restriction, despite some preseason ankle concerns. He looked healthy, explosive, and involved in every phase of the offense. When Jeanty rested on the sideline, Mike Washington looked good too, giving Las Vegas a rushing attack that could carry this team.

The pass-game usage is where Jeanty could really separate himself. With Kirk Cousins at quarterback, the Raiders simply cannot throw the ball deep. That means Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers will be the primary weapons in the short-to-intermediate passing game, and Cousins will funnel a lot of targets their way.

The offense still has work to do. Vegas needs to be better in the fourth quarter and keep its foot on the gas when it has a lead. The defense allowed some big-gash plays it shouldn’t have.

But overall, it was a solid day, and the way this coaching staff plans to use its running backs in both the run and pass game will look a lot different than what fans suffered through last season. Jeanty is the guy. He is the weapon. And he is only going to keep having games like this.