Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll defended his starting quarterback, Geno Smith, after the team’s 33-16 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Smith added his 13th interception in the game. Carroll expressed his confidence in Smith, despite the player’s complicated performance. He highlighted his dedication and effort in training.
The coach considered that Smith performed well overall, despite the circumstances. The player performed with an offensive line that included backup left tackle Stone Forsythe and backup center Will Putnam, due to the absences of starters Kolton Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson, who are on the injured reserve list. Smith completed 27 of 42 passes (64.3%) for 238 yards, one touchdown, and a passer rating of 77.3. He was sacked four times and pressured on 16 of 49 pass attempts.“I still believe in him a lot. I have no doubt in telling you that. He’s an incredible player and he’s giving his all, working very hard at it. He hasn’t taken a step back during the whole process. He will come through for us.”
Pete Carroll
Smith is tied with Tua Tagovailoa, quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, for the most interceptions in the league and is the most for a Raiders quarterback in the first 10 games of the last 30 seasons. Smith, 35 years old, ranks 29th in passer rating (80.9) and 31st in QBR (32.6), behind Justin Fields, quarterback for the New York Jets.“There was an opportunity for a 10-yard play, probably. But he thought he could pass the ball to Bowers, and the linebacker touched the ball. He has that kind of competitive nature, but there was a better decision to make on that play”.
Pete Carroll
“For my part, again, I just have to play better. I keep saying this, if something doesn’t seem right, it’s my fault. That’s all you can do. It’s my fault. If your kids mess up at school, it’s my fault. If the car breaks down on the way to work, it’s my fault.”
Geno SmithCarroll has backed Smith throughout the Raiders’ 2-8 season. However, if these issues persist in the last seven regular season games, the 74-year-old coach could be forced to make a difficult decision in the position, both now and in the future. Backup quarterback Aidan O’Connell (wrist) was designated to return from the injured reserve list on October 29. Carroll said the team will soon decide whether to activate O’Connell to the active roster or keep him on injured reserve for the rest of the season. On Tuesday, Las Vegas terminated the contract of safety Chris Smith II and released offensive tackle Leroy Watson IV from the practice squad, which could open the door for O’Connell to join the 53-man roster. Kenny Pickett has been the team’s backup quarterback so far. “We’ve been giving O’Connell some work against the first-team defense and all that to get him moving as quickly as possible. He’s had quite a few chances to practice to start, so he’s done well too.” The Raiders are on track to have a high pick in the 2026 NFL draft. The Raiders are projected to have the fourth pick, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. They have an 8.9% chance of securing the first selection and a 62.5% chance of being selected among the top five, which means the team could be in a position to select one of the best quarterback prospects. The Raiders haven’t selected a quarterback in the first round since they took JaMarcus Russell at number 1 in 2007. Smith signed a two-year, $75 million extension after being traded from the Seattle Seahawks. He has a $18.5 million cap hit and has no guaranteed money left on his contract after 2026. The Raiders are likely to be in the market for quarterbacks in the offseason. For now, Smith remains the starter. “We just have to help him more, we have to protect him better.”
