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)

LONDON (AP) — Reports on April Fools' Day of the death of the world’s oldest living land animal — a 193-year-old tortoise called Jonathan — were greatly exaggerated.

Jonathan is still kicking — albeit slowly — on the island of St. Helena.

“It was a hoax,” Anne Dillon, head of communications on the island, told The Associated Press on Thursday. “I can just assure you that he is very much alive.”

News of the Seychelles giant tortoise's demise spread rapidly on social media on Wednesday.

An account on X, falsely claiming to be by Joe Hollins, a veterinarian who had worked with the reptile on the island in the south Atlantic Ocean between Africa and Brazil, said he was heartbroken to announce the death of the “gentle giant” that “outlived empires, wars, and generations of humans.”

The post quickly accumulated nearly 2 million views through Thursday, mostly an outpouring of condolences.

But Hollins later said on Facebook that he didn't even have an X account and something more sinister was afoot.

“There is a hoax — not even an April Fool — going around,” Hollins wrote. “The hoaxer is asking for crypto donations. It’s a con.”

Guinness World Records lists Jonathan as the oldest living land animal and the oldest tortoise ever. He was believed to be about 50 years old when he was brought to St. Helena in 1882.

The St. Helena government sent a photo of Jonathan taken Thursday of him roaming the grounds of the governor's residence on the island best known as the place Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled following his defeat by the British at Waterloo in 1815. It was the place where the former emperor of France died in 1821, about a decade before Jonathan is believed to have taken the first steps in what would become a very long life.

FILE - Tourists take photos of Jonathan, a then 192-year-old tortoise, on the lawn of Plantation House in Jamestown on the South Atlantic island of St. Helena, Feb. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Nicole Evatt, File)