Kirk Cousins issues candid Ashton Jeanty statement amid Maxx Crosby history vs Dolphins

Ashton Jeanty ran all over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday as the Las Vegas Raiders registered a 27-13 Week 1 win at Allegiant Stadium.

The second-year running back finished with 147 yards -- his third career 100-yard game -- and scored two receiving touchdowns after catching 13-yard passes from Raiders QB Kirk Cousins.

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After the game, veteran Cousins, who went 21-of-30 for 160 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, was full of praise for Jeanty.

Kirk Cousins couldn't speak more highly of Ashton Jeanty

“He’s very natural in the pass game, runs hard,” Cousins said.

“He’s a great player, great talent, great pick by this team, and looking forward to using him. We gotta keep him healthy this year.”

“I can’t say enough good things about Ashton,” Cousins went on. “He’s a very capable runner. You saw it today. He’s very capable in the pass game. He’s a leader for us. He’s a guy who sets a great example [and] does things the right way. You can put a lot on his plate mentally. I can’t credit our wellness team in the training room enough for getting him back and getting him ready in a short amount of time.

“They did a phenomenal job. Credit those guys, and Ashton’s diligence to put the work in to be ready to go. I’m proud of his effort today. We really needed him, and he was a big reason we won the game.”

Jeanty had 23 carries against Miami, totaling 102 rushing yards and averaging 4.4 yards per carry.

He also had six receptions for 45 receiving yards and two scores, demonstrating what a dangerous weapon he can be in both the passing and running game.

Jeanty's pre-season was disrupted when he had to be helped off the practice field by trainers on August, 23.

The injury immediately sparked concerns, but the Raiders did not place Jeanty on the injured reserve to start the season and he was ultimately good to go against the Dolphins.

After the win, Jeanty credited the Raiders coaches and trainers for getting him and the rest of the team ready for the Week 1 clash.

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“I mean, first off, our coaches did a great job preparing us for this game,” Jeanty told the media.

“O-line, receivers, tight ends, our fullback Connor Heyward, doing a great job in the running game. I just felt very prepared for the game, and then as a team, we just went out there and executed. So that helped me make plays out there as well.”

Maxx Crosby reaches sack milestone vs Dolphins

However, it wasn't just the Silver & Black's offense that was clicking against the Dolphins.

The Raiders defense, led by new defensive coordinator Rob Leonard and the returning Maxx Crosby, recorded five sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble on what was a challenging day for Miami QB Malik Willis (15-for-27 for 220 passing yards, zero touchdown passes, 66.9 passer rating).

Crosby finished with 1.5 sacks against the Fins, tacking his career sack tally to 71.

After the game, he spoke to reporters about surpassing the 70-sack milestone.

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“It means the world,” Crosby told reporters. “You put everything into it. Every single day I sacrifice to go out there and help my team win and do everything in my power to help us get to where we need to go.

“It’s cool seeing those things and seeing the response from the fans. It’s extremely special and something I’m extremely grateful for. Definitely seeing that is awesome, but we got a lot of work to do. The fans were extremely loud, especially on third down.”

“We came to play,” Crosby went on.

“Everyone played their role, and obviously on the back end, they did a great job. Our DBs and linebackers were flying around and being on the same page. So just playing together, playing as one. When you play complementary football, the offense did a great job of staying on the field and having long drives, and we were fresh and able to roll.

“I thought it was just a good game overall. It could be better, though. Overall, I think offense and defense, even special teams having that long return, there’s things we can get better at, and we know that. But I think it was a good start.”

Next up for the Raiders is an AFC West clash with the Los Angeles Chargers, who fell 14-26 to the Arizona Cardinals.