How Giants Defense is Looking to Limit Raiders Running Back Ashton Jeanty

The Raiders figure to run Ashton Jeanty early and often against the Giants' porous run defense.

Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty figures to be a key focus int he NY Giants' Week 17 game against the Silver and Black. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Despite the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft being at stake, the New York Giants are focused more on bringing home a win than they are tanking for the good of the franchise’s future.

And if Big Blue is to accomplish its objective against the Las Vegas Raiders, its Week 17 opponent, all eyes will likely be focused on the clash between the Giants' much-aligned run defense and the Raiders' rookie dynamo running back Ashton Jeanty.

The Giants' run defense has hovered at or near the bottom of the league’s weekly rankings, this week coming in at No. 31 in total rushing yards allowed per game (150.9) and 32nd in average rushing yards allowed per play (5.46).

Jeanty, while not a top-10 running back yardage-wise at this point in the season–he has 828 yards on 224 carries (3.7 yards per carry)--has seen a bit of a resurgence in his game, where, over the last three weeks, he’s averaged 3.0, 3.9, and 5.3 yards per attempt.

That latter figure of 5.3 yards per attempt was a result of a 24-carry, 128-yard rushing day for the rookie (his second 100-yard rushing performance of the season) against the Houston Texans' run defense in Week 16,  a run defense that has allowed 94.8 rushing yards per game to opponents and ranks fourth in the league.

Those 128 rushing yards against Houston, by the way, made Jeanty the second player this season to rush for over 100 yards against Houston, his 188 total scrimmage yards being the most allowed by the Texans to a single player this season. 

“He's incredibly tough to tackle. He's ridiculous, and we've made a point of emphasis of that this week, just how it's going to take all 11 to the ball the entire game,” said Giants defensive coordinator Charlie Bullen. 

“Houston is one of the best defenses in the league … the one run that Jeanty broke out on, they thought they had him bottled up. He kind of got lost visually to the defenders, and then he just worked his way out.”

Jeanty's biggest challenge to a defense

Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) runs with the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

To Bullen’s point, Jeanty’s 54 forced missed tackles are fifth in the league among running backs with at least 200 carries.

In addition, Jeanty’s 3.14 yards after contact puts him in the top ten of league running backs with a minimum of 200 carries.

That’s not good news for a Giants run defense that sports a league-worst -42.44 EPA against the run, which has allowed opposing rushers a 53.1% rushing success rate, and which has 216 missed tackles on the first contact attempt against the run.

“Yeah, just him breaking tackles and how difficult it is to tackle him is what stands out on the tape for sure,” Bullen acknowledged.

If the Raiders are serious about winning the game, running Jeanty, the sixth overall pick in the 2025 draft, is likely going to be their best ticket in doing so on offense.

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