NFL Power Rankings: Las Vegas Raiders Face Reality Check After Ending Losing Streak Against New York Jets

Mike Washington Jr. powers the Las Vegas Raiders past the New York Jets and ends a four-game skid.© Image via: X/@NFL

Four straight losses had the Las Vegas Raiders staring at a lost season, and then they went to MetLife Stadium and outscored the New York Jets in a shootout. The Raiders are 4-4 now. But the box score hid the real story. Rookie running back Mike Washington Jr. grabbed the lead role in the backfield, and Ashton Jeanty, the sixth overall pick in 2025, saw his workload shrink. Next comes a trip to face the San Francisco 49ers, fresh off a bye and happy to expose any weakness that a 33-point defensive night might suggest.

Mike Washington Jr. Takes The Las Vegas Raiders Backfield From Ashton Jeanty

Washington carried 25 times for 83 yards, a heavy load for a rookie, while Jeanty finished with two carries for 9. Don't mistake that for a banishment. Jeanty still caught three passes, and Klint Kubiak seems to have found a spot that suits him on third down, where hands matter more than power.

Still, it's a humbling turn for a top-10 pick. Critics saw the slide coming well before the coaches acted.

"Ashton Jeanty has rushed for fewer than 50 yards in more than half of his 25 NFL starts. Not great," Nate Davis of USA Today wrote.

Washington, meanwhile, pushed the issue on the field.

#Raiders Mike Washington JR  https://t.co/jBsQVABkYb

— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) August 14, 2026

"I can't be the only one who saw Klint Kubiak open the door just a smidge for Mike Washington Jr. and watched as Washington kicked the thing open, right? It's a different feel when the rookie out of Arkansas is in the backfield," Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated added.

Kirk Cousins And The Las Vegas Raiders Need More Than Easy Wins Against The San Francisco 49ers

Kirk Cousins has thrown 19 touchdown passes, and Brock Bowers keeps finding soft spots in coverage. The passing game works. The rest of the picture needs some squinting.

Las Vegas has beaten the Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints and Jets, who are a combined 5-24 this season. The losses came against the Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams. Surrendering 33 points to one of those struggling opponents won't calm anyone who wonders whether this team has really turned a corner.

San Francisco poses a different kind of problem. The 49ers boast one of the league's best run defenses, which means Washington could find the ground crowded and Cousins may have to carry the offense. He'll also see his old coach across the field, a storyline Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk already circled.

"A Kirk Cousins-Kyle Shanahan reunion game is looming," Florio wrote.