A rookie's incredible performance couldn't stop the Raiders' skid

HOUSTON (AP) — Ashton Jeanty’s 188 yards of offense Sunday against the Houston Texans rank second only to Bo Jackson by a Raiders rookie.

His huge game wasn’t enough for Las Vegas in a 23-21 loss that extended the team’s skid to nine games and dropped it to 2-13.

“I want to win,” Jeanty said. “Whether I have a big game and we lose or a bad game and we lose, I’d rather win.”

Jeanty, the former Boise State star drafted sixth overall, had 24 carries for 128 yards with a touchdown run and added a 60-yard touchdown reception for the second most yards by a rookie in franchise history behind the 235 yards Jackson gained against Seattle in 1987.

“It was a beautiful day to watch Ashton,” coach Pete Carroll said. “His talent is so obvious to me and anyone who has watched him. He’s just really hard to tackle. Guys just fall off of him, and he just keeps striding. It was great to see him have that much space and be able to do his thing.”

Jeanty put the Raiders on top when he grabbed a pass at about the 35 and dashed into the end zone, slipping out of a tackle on the way, for the 60-yard score with about 9 1/2 minutes left in the third.

“I was real happy,” he said. “It’s something I haven’t been able to do as much. I’ve had a couple drops but kept my confidence up and knew I would get another opportunity to showcase that I can catch the ball.”

The score was the longest touchdown reception by a Raiders running back since Jamize Olawale had a 75-yard TD catch against Houston in 2016. He joined Alvin Kamara (2017) and Christian McCaffrey (2017) as the only rookie running backs since 1970 to have five receiving touchdowns.

Jeanty cut the lead to 23-21 when he scored on a 51-yard run with about 5 1/2 minutes left. He burst through the line before shedding a defender and waltzing into the end zone.

Houston faced third-and-20 at its 7 after that when Darien Porter was flagged for pass interference on Nico Collins to give the Texans a first down. Collins grabbed a 24-yard reception on the first play after the two-minute warning and Houston ran out the clock for the win.

It was Jeanty’s second-highest rushing total of the season behind the 138 yards he gained against the Bears in September. Perhaps most impressive about his day is that it came against a Texans defense that entered the game ranked first in the NFL in yards allowed per game.

“I’ve never been in the game and actually like stopped and was like: ‘man this man’s a dog,’” Houston defensive end Will Anderson Jr. said. “A ton of respect for him. He’s going to be a really good player in this league. Tough back, tough runner, hard to bring down. He’s going to do a lot of great things in this league.”

Quarterback Geno Smith raved about the way Jeanty, who led the nation with 2,601 yards rushing last season at Boise State, has carried himself this season amid the team’s struggles.

“Ashton is not only a great player but an outstanding human being,” Smith said. “The way that he works every day, the way that he puts his head down. We’ve been through a lot this season, but he’s been so mature about it. Games like today are what we expect to see from him.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) is congratulated by wide receiver Jack Bech (18) after scoring against the Houston Texans during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) runs for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty, middle, runs past Houston Texans cornerback Myles Bryant, right, to score during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) celebrates after scoring against the Houston Texans during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears appeared as though they were headed to yet another loss to the Green Bay Packers trailing by 10 points in the closing minutes.

Then again, these aren't the same old Bears.

A 22-16 overtime victory on Saturday night was just the latest reminder.

“When it’s this late in games, just, they don’t bat an eye,” coach Ben Johnson said. "You don’t feel any despair on the sideline from any of the phases. You might feel it in the stadium a little bit. I could feel the fans kind of coming to life again once we got a little momentum going in the fourth quarter, but our guys, they don’t miss a beat.

"They just keep plucking along, and they know good things will come if we keep swinging away.”

The win, combined with old nemesis Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers beating the Detroit Lions on Sunday, secured Chicago’s first postseason appearance since 2020.

Good things rarely come to the Bears against the Packers. Chicago is 7-30 against Green Bay since 2008, counting the playoffs. But maybe — just maybe — the momentum is starting to shift in the NFL's longest-running rivalry.

The Bears won at Lambeau Field in last year's finale to snap an 11-game losing streak against the Packers. On Saturday, they beat Green Bay at home for the first time since 2018. They also got some payback for what happened at Lambeau two weeks earlier, when they briefly fell out of the division lead.

Williams went from throwing a late interception in the end zone that sealed a 28-21 loss to the Packers to beating them with a 46-yard touchdown to DJ Moore in overtime. And Chicago (11-4) widened its lead in the division over Green Bay (9-5-1) to 1 1/2 games with two remaining.

The receivers. The depth at receiver showed even though the Bears were without two of their top targets in Rome Odunze (foot) and Luther Burden (ankle). Then again, they still had Moore. And he came up big for the second straight game.

Moore caught five passes for a season-high 97 yards and hauled in the winning touchdown even though he had Keisean Nixon draping him. He had 69 yards and two touchdowns the previous week in a blowout win over Cleveland.

It was a huge turnaround from the game at Green Bay, when Moore was targeted just three times and caught one pass for a 4-yard loss. It was the first time in his eight seasons that his receiving total was for negative yardage.

But in the rematch with the Packers, it wasn't just Moore. The Bears had seven players catch passes.

The Bears had trouble sustaining drives, going 2 for 11 on third downs. The Packers, by comparison, were 6 of 12 and had a big advantage in time of possession: 38:57 to 26:13.

WR Jahdae Walker. An undrafted rookie out of Texas A&M, Walker caught the first two passes of his career, including the tying 6-yard touchdown with 24 seconds remaining in regulation. Facing an all-out blitz on fourth down, Williams lofted a pass to a wide-open Walker in the right corner of the end zone, and Cairo Santos kicked the extra point.

“Whoever is on that field in that time, I trust them that they’re going to do their job and go make plays when the ball is in the air," Williams said. "Jahdae is my guy. When Jahdae first got here, I allowed him to stay in my house a little bit until he found a spot.”

DE Austin Booker. He got flagged twice for roughing the passer. He knocked Jordan Love out of the game with the second one with a helmet-to-helmet hit that resulted in a concussion for Green Bay's quarterback.

Odunze missed his third straight game. ... CB C.J. Gardner-Johnson (knee) exited in the fourth quarter.

6 — For the Bears, sixes are wild. They have six straight wins at home since a season-opening loss to Minnesota. And with their latest victory, they stopped a six-game losing streak at Soldier Field against Green Bay. They also have six wins when trailing in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, and this one might have been their most incredible, considering the Packers had a win probability of 99%. Williams extended a franchise record with his league-leading sixth fourth-quarter comeback.

The Bears visit San Francisco in a game with potential playoff seeding implications for both teams.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Chicago Bears' DJ Moore catches a touchdown pass with Green Bay Packers' Keisean Nixon defending during overtime of an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)

Chicago Bears' Caleb Williams gets away from Green Bay Packers' Lukas van Ness during the second half of an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)

Chicago Bears' DJ Moore catches a touchdown pass with Green Bay Packers' Keisean Nixon defending diring overtime an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Chicago Bears' DJ Moore celebrates after an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)