The Las Vegas Raiders fell just short in a 25-24 defeat to the Chicago Bears on September 28 at Allegiant Stadium, with a blocked field goal sealing the loss.
Geno Smith had a tough night, finishing 14 of 21 for 117 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. Over the past three weeks, the veteran quarterback’s turnovers have been a persistent problem.
Smith has seven interceptions so far this season, and some fans have now called to put in former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett. While head coach Pete Carroll doesn’t seem willing to bench Smith, sports media host Rich Eisen isn’t too sure about it.
“The interceptions are killers,” Eisen said on the September 29 edition of “The Rich Eisen Show.” “They’re just absolute killers. They’re killers because they’re drive killers. Or in the case of the Raiders, here you are starting the second half. Let’s go. First snap, he throws it right to the Bears, who couldn’t do anything with it.
“Pete loves the guy, and for good reason. He trusts him, and he was asked if he was considering changing quarterbacks… But we’re not [at Pickett taking over as the starter] because Pete’s not there. I’ll tell you what—another three-interception game at Indianapolis, where the fans are plugged into what that team is doing, and it just gets louder and louder. That’s a tough place to go and win when you’re turning it over. That ain’t it.”
Raiders QB Geno Smith Looks to Bounce Back
After the Raiders’ tough loss, Smith was candid about his own performance, openly criticizing his play against the Bears amid his poor form over the past few weeks.
“No. 1, take care of the ball, not throwing interceptions,“ Smith told the media after the loss. “That’s the simplest way I can put it to you. First of all, I owe it to my teammates to go out there and play better. I felt like we had a great week of practice; I felt like the process was there.
“I felt like I was feeling good about what I was seeing. The game plan was great. Guys fought their tails off. We deserve to get this win and I let those guys down. So, there’s a lot of things I’m going to have to fix within myself. That’s the reality.”
Should the Raiders Bench Geno Smith?
Even with another three-interception performance in the loss to the Bears, former Raiders linebacker Morrison doesn’t think the Silver and Black should bench Smith in favor of Pickett.
“Geno wants to do the right thing, and I get it, but sometimes the best play is getting to the next down, and that’s what he has to work on,“ Morrison said on “Raiders Postgame Live.”. “There’s no quarterback situation. Do you sit him? Do you bench him? No. I think you have to work through this. And this is only four games in.
“I hate the hole that the Raiders are in at one and three, but there’s still some room for improvement. And I’ll tell you, Geno Smith is going to be the first guy to say, I have to be better because of what you mentioned. The running game was excellent. I thought a lot of guys did their part, and Geno Smith didn’t do his part.”