Mike Washington — Week 3: Five Carries and a First Touchdown
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 28
Washington carried 5 times for 54 yards, three first downs and the first touchdown of his career, a 36-yard run on second and one with 3:29 left in the third that was ruled short at the one and reversed on the Raiders' challenge. It cut the Saints' lead to 27–22 and began 19 unanswered Raiders points, in a 35–27 win over the Saints.
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27 to 16, Saints, three 29 left in the third quarter, second and one at the New Orleans 36. Mike Washington went through right guard and was ruled out of bounds at the one after 35 yards. Las Vegas challenged, the ruling was reversed, and it was a 36-yard touchdown, the first of his career. +3.3 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and 9.4 points of win probability, the change in the chance of winning from before the play to after it. Both were the largest figures for either offense on any pass or run in the game, and it was the longest designed run of the day. The two-point try failed, and it was 27 to 22. Las Vegas did not allow another point.
The line: five carries, 54 yards, one touchdown, three first downs, three of the five successful, +4.3 expected points. No targets. The carries: three on second and six at the Saints 31 on the opening drive, which ended in a field goal; seven on third and two from the Las Vegas 48 on the first snap of the second quarter, converted, on a drive that ended in another; three on second and 10 at the Saints 21, on the drive that ended in Michael Mayer's touchdown; the 36; and five on second and three at the Saints 26 with 11 31 left in the fourth, a first down, three snaps before Cody White's go-ahead touchdown. Three carries before halftime for 13 yards, two after for 41.
Ashton Jeanty had 19 of the 24 designed runs and Washington five. Jeanty's 19 came out at −6.6 expected points and 56 yards; Washington's five at +4.3 and 54.
Back in June the preview called Washington a handcuff on an unusually interesting athlete — the fastest back at the combine at 228 pounds, behind a starter coming off one of the biggest rookie workloads in football — and said the thing to watch was whether the rotation was two backs or three. Week 1 it was two, and he had seven carries for 41 yards. Week 2 it was two, three carries for seven, one of them the snap after Jeanty was hurt. Sunday it was still two, five carries, and the biggest run of the day. Three games, 15 carries, a hundred two yards. The role has not grown; five carries say little about what 20 would look like. Las Vegas is home to the Chiefs on Sunday the fourth.
_Data via nflverse._
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