Jeanty Is Questionable. Washington Jr. Gets His Audition.

Ashton Jeanty is listed questionable heading into New England, which puts the Raiders in a spot they rehearsed for in August but haven't actually had to play through yet. Jeanty was the offensive engine last season — 975 rushing yards, five touchdowns — and whatever version of him shows up Sunday, or doesn't, shapes how much Geno Smith has to carry.

The contingency has a name: Mike Washington Jr. Kubiak called him phenomenal during the preseason, and the Raiders clearly built some confidence around him as a fallback. That was August. This is a road game against the Patriots with the offense already navigating without a fully healthy backfield. Preseason praise and regular-season production are different currencies.

Brock Bowers is active, which matters. Tre Tucker is active. The passing game has enough around it that Las Vegas isn't without options if the run game is compromised. But Jeanty's ability to stress a defense horizontally — and to catch out of the backfield, where he caught 55 passes last year — isn't something Washington Jr. replicates on reputation alone. We find out what he actually is this week.