The Las Vegas Raiders have a mini bye week before their Week 11 game against the Dallas Cowboys. Moreover, this break comes at an ideal time considering their quarterback situation.
Geno Smith took a hit to his quad in the second half of the 10-7 loss to the Denver Broncos on November 6, which forced Kenny Pickett to come onto the field briefly. Despite the injury, Smith stayed in and continued taking snaps, though he clearly wasn’t at full strength.
Carroll later confirmed Smith likely has a quad contusion, but it’s not expected to keep him out, especially with the Raiders having extra time before Week 11. This season has been tough for Smith, who recently threw his 12th interception, the most in the NFL.
Despite the injury and poor play, former Raiders linebacker Kirk Morrison believes that Las Vegas needs to stick with Smith.
“Geno Smith was hampered, and to not go to at least Kenny Pickett at some point at least I thought Kenny Pickett should have an opportunity to try to use his legs a little bit, get out there on the perimeter,” Morrison said during an appearance on “Raiders Postgame Live.”
“I don’t think bringing back [Aidan O’Connell] right away, coming off of a mini bye. Geno’s the quarterback. [Smith] came in and [he] started the season; you extended him. You traded for him. You kind of have to go down with him.”
Is the 2-8 Record All on Geno Smith?
Additionally, the reason Morrison believes the Raiders have to stick with Smith, aside from the financial and contractual commitment, is that the eight losses aren’t all on the signal caller.
“I don’t think it’s at the point yet where you go to someone else, because we can cop out and say, ‘Oh, let’s switch it up with the quarterback.’ But the quarterback—you’ve got guys running out of bounds and then trying to go make the play—that’s a penalty. So when I look at the myriad of mistakes, I put Geno Smith way down on that list of what the Raiders need to work on before heading into the game against the Cowboys.”
Raiders’ Offense Under Criticism After Loss to Broncos
Regardless of who is under center against the Cowboys, Las Vegas’ offensive coordinator Chip Kelly is under fire for his offensive playcalling.
After the loss to the Broncos, former Raiders wide receiver James Jones called out Kelly for not trying to get the ball to Bowers, who only had one reception for 31 receiving yards.
“Offensively, we got to do better,” Jones said on “Raiders Postgame Live.“ “I know I come up here every single week and ask, ‘What’s our identity? ‘ I don’t know. Chip don’t know neither. That’s the problem. We don’t know if we want to run it, and we don’t know if we want to throw it. What’s our identity?
“… I expected to see more of Brock Bowers. We’ve got a lot of young players out there, and I know Brock’s young, but he’s our superstar. We can’t depend on young players to win primetime games like this. Yes, he got some opportunities, but I’m more concerned about Brock Bowers. How do you go into a game as an offensive coordinator and not find a way to get the ball to him? He’s the best player on the field.”
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