ESPN NFL Analyst Ryan Clark turned some heads last week with a strong criticism of Las Vegas Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty by suggesting he doesn’t possess the ‘it’ factor.
Well, Ashton Jeanty’s Week 4 performance — which included 155 total yards and three TDs against the Chicago Bears — appeared to have caught the eye of Clark on Sunday.
Ryan Clark Reacts to Ashton Jeanty’s Big Week 4 Performance
To set the table of exactly why former Pittsburgh Steelers DB Ryan Clark reacting to Jeanty’s big Week 4 performance is such a big deal, a quick refresher of Ryan Clark’s own words about the Boise State product through the first three games of his NFL career feels appropriate.
âTo me, Ashton Jeanty doesnât have that pop, doesnât have that thing that makes him different,â Clark said critically on ESPNâs First Take last week. âWhatâs Ashton Jeantyâs âitâ factor? Because when you got it, you got it, and it pops. I donât think this is a load management thing. I think this is a production thing. This is a pop thing ⦠Ashton Jeanty is playing at Boise State, heâs getting a ton of carries and young men got tired of hitting him. These boys [in the NFL], you think Derwin James is going to get tired of hitting him? You think these [linebackers] in the league are going to get tired of hitting him?”
For some additional context, Jeanty had just 144 rushing and one score on 47 carries through his first three games. His average 3.1 yards per carry certainly suggest that the Boise State product was off to a slow start behind a struggling offensive line.
That changed on Sunday.
During Jeanty’s career performance on Sunday, Clark to X to react to one of Jeanty’s gamebreaking plays against the Bears.
“Well ok Ashton⦠now thatâs a mother effing play!!” Clark wrote on X. This may not be a ull blown retraction of his previous comments about Jeanty, but it certainly appears that Clark was unable to deny that Jeanty made the type of plays befitting of a difference making ball carrier at the running back position on Sunday.
Ryan Clark Receives Some Shade for His ‘It Factor’ Comments on Ashton Jeanty on Sunday
The official X account of the Las Vegas Raiders didn’t take long to respond to Clark’s post by replying with a smirking face emoji.
Brett Kollman of the Bootleg Football podcast was quick to throw shade at Clark’s criticism of Jeanty by posting on X, “Damn just imagine how good his stat line would be if he had an it factor.”
Jeanty delivered the type of all-around performance on Sunday that suggests he has finally arrived on the NFL scene after a slow start. Two of this three touchdowns on the day came through the air, which suggests he is far more than just an early down thumper at the RB position.
Jeanty was exceptional during his college career and finally showed that his multitude of monster performances at Boise State translates to the NFL.
The Raiders offense still has its fair share of issues to work out, but if Las Vegas gets this version of Jeanty moving forward — then we could see this offense makes big strides over the back half of the 2025 NFL season.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post The ‘It’ Factor? Ryan Clark Reacts to Ashton Jeanty’s Big Week 4 Performance appeared first on Heavy Sports.