Ryan Clark Facing Backlash Over Comments About Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty
Ashton Jeanty is one of the most hyped running backs to come into the NFL in a long time. With that kind of hype comes added scrutiny.
Unfortunately for the Las Vegas Raiders running back, he’s had a rocky start to his career. In two games, he has just 81 rushing yards and is averaging 2.7 yards per carry.
That’s simply not good enough for a player who was drafted in the top-10. While he’s still very young in his career, some are starting to suggest that he might not actually be that good. Former player and ESPN analyst Ryan Clark slammed Jeanty ahead of Week 3.
“To me, Ashton Jeanty doesn’t have that pop, doesn’t have that thing that makes him different,” Clark said on ESPN’s “First Take.” “What’s Ashton Jeanty’s ‘it’ factor? Because when you got it, you got it, and it pops. I don’t think this is a load management thing. I think this is a production thing. This is a pop thing … Ashton Jeanty is playing at Boise State, he’s getting a ton of carries and young men got tired of hitting him. These boys [in the NFL], you think Derwin James is going to get tired of hitting him? You think these [linebackers] in the league are going to get tired of hitting him?
“I’m telling you all, when Ladanian Tomlinson put his foot in the ground, he would be so far away from you on the next step. The explosion, the lateral quickness, it was different. I don’t see that from Ashton Jeanty. I didn’t see that from him at Boise … to me, I think you get into [training] camp and you realize this might not have been the pick.”
Clark Facing Backlash for Comments
It’s true that Jeanty hasn’t shown much in his first two games, but the Raiders’ offensive line has been among the worst in the NFL. He’s frequently getting hit in the backfield after he gets the ball.
Many fans called out Clark for his take.
“FIRE RYAN CLARK IMMEDIATELY FOR THIS TAKE,” one fan wrote on X.
“Imagine if Ryan Clark got told 2 games into his career that he doesnt have ‘it’ ESPN is a complete joke, nothing but idiots trying to go viral on social media,” another fan wrote.
“When Ryan Clark stamps someone as bad you know they are about to be great,” a fan commented.
Jeanty Breakout Could Happen in Week 3
Another reason Jeanty hasn’t had a big game is partly because the Raiders have faced two very good defenses in the first two weeks. The Washington Commanders don’t have a bad defense, but they were middle of the pack.
Last season, they had one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL. The Raiders face the Commanders in Week 3, and this would be a perfect game for Jeanty to break out.
Las Vegas still seems confident that he’ll be an impact player, but he does need to have a big game to calm any concerns. If he can’t get things going against the Commanders, the Raiders may need to rethink their approach to offense this season.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS' FUN, FEARLESS TEAM BREAKS THE MOLD AND LEADS THE NFL IN UNEXPECTED STYLE – A GAME-CHANGER IN 2025!
Defensive excellence was expected when the Seattle Seahawks hired Mike Macdonald as head coach a year ago, and while results weren’t immediate, the unit is finally living up to expectations, thanks to a position group bucking trends in 2025 to lead the NFL.
It’s the defensive line that’s prompting a change of sorts in Macdonald’s system. He made his name as a purveyor of sophisticated blitz packages as defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens in 2023, but Macdonald is travelling a different way in Seattle and still getting results.
Those results include the “Seahawks leading NFL with a 49.4% Pressure Rate via Next Gen Stats,” per Ben Fennell of CBS Sports. That number is made possible because “Seattle is using 4-man rushes 83.1% of the time, and blitzing at a 31st rate 13.0% (only team blitzing less is Cincy). This is a nasty unit that has horses to get home on the front. Really fun group.”
#Seahawks leading NFL with a 49.4% Pressure Rate via @NextGenStats
Seattle is using 4-man rushes 83.1% of the time, and blitzing at a 31st rate 13.0% (only team blitzing less is Cincy). This is a nasty unit that has horses to get home on the front. Really fun group.
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) September 15, 2025
The Seahawks’ front four flexed its collective muscle during Week 2’s 31-17 win over Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Several standout performers set the tone for a group able to power the Seahawks into the ranks of the league’s elite.
Seahawks Studs Taking Over Games
Individual talent is doing more than X’s and O’s to help Seattle’s defensive front seize ownership of the line of scrimmage. It’s starting along the interior, where veterans Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed, along with second-year pro Byron Murphy II “dominated the Steelers up front,” per highlights from NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger.
Two-time Pro Bowler Williams is arguably playing his best football in his 11th season. He’s combining natural first-step quickness with a formidable 6-foot-5, 310-pound frame to shift the line of scrimmage at will, but 31-year-old Williams is getting plenty of help.
Most of it is coming from Murphy, who is playing like the 16th player taken in the 2024 NFL draft. Murphy’s mauling centers, while his 1.5 sacks logged against the Steelers surpassed his total for quarterback takedowns as a rookie.
There’s no shortage of muscle inside, but these Seahawks are also tough on the edges. Where former Dallas Cowboys roving standout DeMarcus Lawrence is making an impact alongside versatile holdovers Boye Mafe, Derick Hall and Uchenna Nwosu.
Having this many riches along the line is helping Macdonald rein in his more aggressive instincts as a play-caller and defy what most of the rest of the league is doing.
Mike Macdonald Changing Seahawks Defense
Blitz percentage rates per dropbacks are up across the NFL through two weeks. Almost everywhere except in Seattle, where the Seahawks have a blitz percentage of just 10.3, according to Pro Football Reference.
The number is in sharp contrast to the Kansas City Chiefs, who top the pressure charts at 43.9 percent. Those Chiefs are one of 15 teams around the league blitzing at a rate greater than 25 percent.
Macdonald’s 2024 Seahawks defense neared these lofty heights at 23.6 percent, but things are changing because of the bluechip talent underpinning the front seven. Players like Mafe winning individual matchups and generating “instapressure,” the way Nate Tice of Yahoo! Sports highlighted here, are making the new way a success.
If Mafe, Williams and the rest of the group can continue applying heat at the same rate, the Seahawks will have a defense capable of sparking a playoff push.
