Yet, Jeanty had found a rhythm and continued to dominate.
With less than six minutes in regulation, Smith handed the ball off to Jeanty. The running back bouncing left off the line of scrimmage, broke another tackle and sprinted 51 yards to the end zone to cut the lead down to two points.
The No. 6 overall pick finished with career highs in rushing attempts (24) and scrimmage yards (188) with this also being his first game since Week 4 with multiple touchdowns.
“We come and practice hard every week, but I think we brought that energy today,” Ashton Jeanty said on *Raiders Gameday*. “On the sideline, before the game, we were all together, united. We just kept fighting no matter what. Whether it was a bad play, whether it was a missed tackle, we just kept fighting and kept playing. Obviously it didn’t end our way, but extremely proud of the team for playing better against one of the better teams in the NFL.”
The Raiders offense waited patiently on the sidelines for another chance to step on the field to win the game, an opportunity that never arose. With 5:24 left in regulation, the Texans managed to stay on the field to close it out. A pass interference call against Darien Porter on third-and-20, along with a 37-yard grab by Nico Collins on another third down was enough to seal the deal.
“All season long there’s been a lot things that I wish we could’ve done better, but what I’m really proud of is just the way that we continue to fight,” Geno Smith said. “The spirit of this team and the spirit of the locker room, guys are continuing to hold the rope and that’s really all you can ask of the guys. And you can continue to see where we’re getting better, but it’s still not enough.
“I’m not the guy who really harps on moral victories, but I appreciate the way these guys fought.”
