To Beat Commanders, Raiders Must Get Vintage Geno Smith

In two games together, the Las Vegas Raiders have two different sides of Geno Smith.

Sep 15, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) takes the field for warms ups before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

After an offseason filled with sweeping roster changes, it is evident that the Las Vegas Raiders are still putting together several moving parts.

Ranking Smith Among Other QBs

After years of instability at quarterback, the Raiders traded for quarterback Geno Smith. In Week 1, Smith threw for over 350 yards. He looked like the best quarterback the Raiders have had in some time, then Monday night happened.

Nick Shook of NFL.com recently ranked every starting quarterback in the league, by tier. He ranked Smith in the third tier of five.

"Geno Smith had one of the worst games of his career against a shockingly stingy Chargers defense in Week 2. I believe he'll bounce back, but much of that will depend on Brock Bowers' health, which doesn't seem to be in a great place as he plays through the knee injury he suffered in Week 1," Shook said.

Earlier this week, Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll explained how he and his coaching staff will walk the fine line of pushing the ball down the field but also not putting the ball in harm's way. In Week 1, Smith was great. In Week 2, he threw three interceptions.

"Yeah, well that's experience with the guy and trust. I know what he was thinking, and I know the shot that he took, and he threw a ball that was catchable, possibly, but it was a challenge,” Carroll said. 

“And so a couple of them came up -- they made their plays, and they did a nice job with it. So I'm not going to slow him down. Taking the shots instinctively are there for him. But we will evaluate, and if there's a better option, let's not give them their opportunity to get the football from us."

Earlier this week, before practice, Smith did not mince words when reflecting on his most recent performance. He knows he must play better.

"It was tough to watch, honestly. A lot of things that I wish I would have done better personally. But like I said, man, you can never just flush that. You got to learn from it, and that's what I did, man. I watched it over 10 times and just tried to figure out what did I need to do to be better, which was a lot of things that were obvious,” Smith said. 

“So, being more accurate, taking what they give me, not being so aggressive. And then, we had chances at the end of the game, which I usually do well at, and we didn't get it done. So, a lot to learn from and a lot that we will get better from."

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