The Clearest Sign Yet That the Raiders' Meltdown Has Begun

The Las Vegas Raiders had a one-way ticket to infighting and more until quarterback Kenny Pickett stepped up.

Sep 21, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kenny Pickett (15) warms up before the game against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders' offense has been anemic the entire season.

Raiders' Failure

Thursday's loss to the Denver Broncos was another example of the Raiders' offense falling short. Not only did the unit fall short again, they did so because of many self-inflicted mistakes that proved costly. One example of that was a missed assignment by Raiders running back Raheem Mostert.

Mostert missed a key block on a blitz from the Broncos' defense that directly led to Geno Smith being sacked. Rightfully frustrated Smith had words with Mostert on the field and on the sideline. Although Smith did so in a respectful manner, backup quarterback Kenny Pickett stepped in between them.

Nov 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll before the game at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Following the game, Smith elaborated on the offense's struggles. The Raiders have one of the worst offenses in the league. Las Vegas must fix its offense immediately.

“In order to be a good team, you’ve got to play clean. You can’t have missed assignments. You can’t have penalties. You can’t have penalties negate big plays. Can’t have turnovers. Those are the things that hurt teams," Smith said.

Smith was sacked five times in the first half, before briefly going down with an injury. Smith fought to get back on the field and try to win the game with his teammates. Smith explained why he felt it was critical for him to return.

"That's just kind of how I'm wired," Smith said when asked why it was important to return. "I never want to leave my teammates out there alone. I feel like it's a big responsibility of mine to be out there and to do whatever I can to help us win. I felt like I could try to tough it out, and that's what I tried to do," Smith said.

Las Vegas Raiders QB Geno Smith | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll commended Smith's toughness, noting that Smith finished the game with a thigh contusion.

"He wanted to go back in in the worse way. He wanted to go finish the game for his teammates. He got whacked in the quad. He got a quad bruise or something, contusion, whatever it is. He got smacked. That's just him fighting," Carroll said.

Las Vegas Raiders Geno Smith | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

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