Raiders DE Maxx Crosby Rips Ashton Jeanty Critics
Ashton Jeanty finally had a breakout game for the Las Vegas Raiders, but it’s tainted a bit due to his team losing. Despite rushing for 138 yards and scoring three total touchdowns, the Raiders lost 25-24 to the Chicago Bears.
While it’s hard to find many silver linings amid a 1-3 start to the season, the team should feel good about the fact that Jeanty looks like the real deal. Questions about how good he is started to creep in after he had a lackluster three-game stretch to start his career.
Since Jeanty played at Boise State, many started to speculate that he only had so much success in college due to the fact that he played at a smaller school. Even if he doesn’t develop into an All-Pro running back, he at least showed that he can be an above-average starter.
Star defensive end Maxx Crosby has formed a close relationship with Jeanty in their brief time as teammates, and he called everybody who doubted the rookie after just three games.
“He looked awesome,” Crosby said of Jeanty after the game. “Everybody has their opinions about (expletive) in September. Now, they’re gonna jump on the bandwagon. … It happens every year. He’s an incredible player. He’s gonna keep getting better. I love the way he works.”
Crosby Calls Jeanty An ‘Animal’
Jeanty is further proof that it’s difficult for a running back to have success when the offensive line is playing poorly. The Raiders’ offensive line had their best game in Week 4, so it makes sense that Jeanty had his best game.
Once he was able to get into the open field, it quickly became clear what makes him a dynamic player. Crosby never had a doubt that Jeanty would eventually put together a big game.
“He shows it every day,” Crosby said. “Even his numbers leading up to this game – he has more yards after contact than total yards. I don’t even know how that’s possible. He’s an animal.”
Pete Carroll Addresses Loss
The Raiders are a team that wants to run the ball, so the fact that they ran for 240 yards and still lost is a huge blow. A major reason for the loss was Geno Smith’s three interceptions.
It’s going to be difficult for any team to win when they lose the turnover battle. Head coach Pete Carroll was clearly disappointed by the loss, and specifically, Smith’s turnovers.
“Those are huge plays in the first half, third down opportunities, third down conversions, and everything on both plays was the same thing, and then when we fell for it and screwed it up,” Carroll told reporters after the game. “You can’t expect to turn the ball over like that and win. It doesn’t happen, but we overcame it because the defense was so spectacular in the first half making those stops. They were great, and it gave us a chance. The score could have been ridiculous after the first quarter, but it wasn’t, and so we learn. We grow, and we have to do better.”
Bears Trade Proposition Supplants Disappointing RB For Ex 1,000 Yard Rusher
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The Chicago Bears snuck past the Las Vegas Raiders in a mistake-filled thriller – for both teams – 25-24, on Sunday afternoon.
Whilst the Bears were certainly not perfect on the defensive side – despite two interceptions from former two-time All-Pro safety, Kevin Byard – the area that really got fans going was the run game.
Chicago Bears’ Running Backs Not Performing Well
Despite a game-sealing touchdown, D’Andre Swift had yet another disappointing game against Las Vegas, managing just 2.7 yards per carry on the day, and a similarly poor 3.3 YPC on the season.
And whilst there were high hopes for him over the past couple of seasons, former fourth round pick, Roschon Johnson has effectively been frozen out of the team, having been given no carries over the past two weeks since returning from a foot injury.
Rookie seventh round pick, Kyle Monangai, had a better day than Swift in week 4, but on the season has largely been playing with similar mediocre levels of efficiency.
It seems to be, more than anything, that head coach, Ben Johnson, is looking for his lead back to truly move the offense forward. Now, he is almost certainly not going to find him on the trade block ahead of November’s deadline, but there is a chance that he can find a new lead back – or at least one that gives a bona fide competitive push to Swift and Monangai.
Rico Dowdle Makes Sense For The Bears
So in this trade proposal, the Bears make a trade for Carolina Panthers backup running back, Rico Dowdle.
Dowdle came over from the Dallas Cowboys this past offseason, where he managed 1,079 yards rushing in his first season as the RB1. However, the Cowboys were not keen on retaining him, and instead the Panthers signed him to a modest one year, $2.75 million deal, with incentives that could get him up past the $6 million figure in 2025.
But the ex-Cowboy is very much RB2 in Carolina, behind Chuba Hubbard – who was signed to a four year extension last November.
In this proposal, the Dowdle has the opportunity to see not only get more attempts rushing, and eventually take over as the starter, but to operate in an offense filled with far more high-quality skill weapons, operated by offensive guru, Ben Johnson.
The South Carolina alum has not managed to eclipse 10 carries this season, and his efficiency metrics are way down from last season, going from 4.6 yards per carry in 2024, to 3.0 over the past four games.
Yet, how much of that is down to the crumbling offense, rather than Dowdle’s change in ability is certainly worth noting – especially since he is still just 27 years of age.
Behind the Bears’ interior offensive line that, at least on paper, has talent – and with one of the most respected up-and-coming offensive minds in the business in Ben Johnson, Dowdle could return to being a 1,000 yard + rusher, and finally give quarterback, Caleb Williams, his outlet in the ground game that the team have so desperately needed.
Chicago Bears receive: Rico Dowdle, 2026 seventh round pick
Carolina Panthers receive: 2026 fifth round pick
Chiefs HC Andy Reid Delivers Message to Patrick Mahomes After Making History
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has watched quarterback Patrick Mahomes set a slew of NFL records during his tenure with the team, including a big milestone in Sunday’s win over the Baltimore Ravens.
Mahomes became the youngest player in NFL history to reach 250 touchdown passes — while also becoming the fastest to do it in his career. Reid shared a message for his franchise quarterback after the game, sharing his amazement at the feat.
Andy Reid Shares Praise for Patrick Mahomes
After the Chiefs struggled on offense through their first three games of the season, dropping to 1-2, Mahomes got them out to a fast start on Sunday. He threw touchdown passes on two of the team’s first four drives, the second one giving him 250 for his career.
Mahomes — who just turned 30 earlier in the month — became the youngest player in league history to reach that mark as well as the fastest (116 career games). He beat out Aaron Rodgers, who held both records before Sunday.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Reid said Mahomes deserves all the accolades for setting the record.
“It’s phenomenal. That’s incredible,” Reid said, via SI.com. “Whatever you write good about him, he deserves, man, let me tell you. You can give him everything. He’s a joker. It’s unbelievable. We’re lucky to have him.”
Mahomes finished the game completing 25-of-37 passes for 270 yards and four touchdowns, leading his team to a 37-20 win. The Chiefs quarterback said the win was a big step forward, especially after the mistakes that plagued the team through the first three games of the season.
“I’ve been proud of the guys for the way they’ve responded, getting better every week,” Mahomes said, via The Associated Press.
Chiefs Claw Back to .500 With Win Over Ravens
After starting the season 0-2, the Chiefs have put together two consecutive wins to get back to .500. Mahomes told reporters after Sunday’s game that the Chiefs knew they would be facing a challenge against the aggressive Baltimore defense and would need to respond in kind.
“When you’re playing one of the better teams in the NFL, you know you’re going to have to be a little bit more aggressive and I know their record doesn’t show, but everybody knows that’s the Baltimore Ravens, they’ve had so much success these last few years,” Mahomes said. “We had a good gameplan going in. We knew we had to raise our game and I think that we finished the game the right way.
“But it was a close game throughout until the very end there and I thought we executed at a high level in crucial situations and that’s what changes the tide of the game.”
Mahomes credited his offensive line for keeping him protected and opening up lanes for the running game.
“When they play like that, it makes my job a lot easier,” Mahomes said. “They’re starting to gel and build that chemistry that every offensive line has to do. Those young guys are getting more and more experience and they’ve played against some great defensive lines, and they’ll continue to get better and better as the year goes on, but they had a great day today and let’s build on it.”
