The Resurrection of Michael Myers: Raiders' Ashton Jeanty returns to iconic stance in breakout game
Jeanty went back to his roots in a magnificent performance against the Bears
By
Will Backus
•
1 min read
Ashton Jeanty is back to being Ashton Jeanty. After struggling through his first few games as a Las Vegas Raiders, the first-round rookie running back had a breakout performance in his team's Week 4 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Jeanty scored three touchdowns, becoming the sixth rookie in the Super Bowl era to log at least two receiving touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in a single game. He also averaged 6.6 yards per carry while rushing for a season-high 138 yards.
How did he do it? He returned to his familiar upright stance in the backfield, which has drawn comparisons to Michael Myers, an iconic villain from the horror franchise "Halloween."
"I just feel more comfortable that way," Jeanty said when speaking with reporters this week. "More relaxed. Just reading the defense. Can't really explain it more different than that. That's just what I do."
Ashton Jeanty joins Raider greats Bo Jackson and Marcus Allen with feat, sets other franchise, NFL milestones
Bryan DeArdo
Jeanty spent the first three weeks of the season in a more traditional bent stance after new Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly challenged his posture in the offseason. Even when Kelly won the initial battle, Jeanty vowed to sway his coordinator one day.
Repeating the type of showing he had against the Bears would go a long way toward ensuring he never again has to bend the knee -- literally -- in matters of stance.
Jeanty had just 144 yards rushing through his first three games, which means he almost matched that total against Chicago. He also doubled his rushing touchdowns on the season. Jeanty had five catches for three yards entering the Week 4 slate and posted 17 yards through the air in Sunday's game.
It was reminiscent of the Boise State version of Jeanty that was a 2024 Heisman Trophy finalist after rushing for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns.
"Sometimes you just got to prove that something can work and that's all it is," Jeanty said.
