It’s still unclear which quarterback the Las Vegas Raiders will go with for their Week 15 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Nonetheless, if Geno Smith cannot go due to his injury, then it will be Kenny Pickett who will get the call to face his former team on the road.
Smith left the Raiders’ Week 14 game against the Denver Broncos in the second half with an injury, giving backup Kenny Pickett a chance to take over. Pickett, a former first-round selection, went 8 of 11 for 97 yards and added a touchdown pass.
On December 10, Pickett spoke with reporters and reflected on his time with the Eagles ahead of potentially facing them on December 14.
“All you can ask for is an opportunity,” Pickett said about potentially returning to Philadelphia to face the Eagles (h/t Vegas Sports Today). “It’s a great opportunity. Philly is an unbelievable place to play. I know the fans will be ready to go. They have a hell of a team. There’s not a ton of new faces on that team. There [are] a lot of really good players. I know the coaches and how prepared they’re going to be for the game…
“The dedication, the commitment from every position group. It was really player-led. That was a really cool thing. I think we had a great veteran leadership. A lot of those guys are still there. I know what’s on the other side. Nothing but respect for everyone over there.”
Pete Carroll Still Backs Geno Smith as Raiders QB
With the Raiders preparing to face the Eagles, uncertainty looms over the team’s quarterback situation. As a result, head coach Pete Carroll addressed the matter during his “1 on 1” appearance, which was published on December 9.
“I was really thrilled for [Pickett] to get a chance to play,” Carroll said. “He looked terrific in practice; he runs well, moves well, and throws the ball effectively on the move, which he showed in the game—scrambling for a first down, I believe. He might have missed his first three passes, but then hit seven or eight in a row; he came on really strong and finished on a good note.
“Now we have to see how Geno is—how banged up he is. He’s taken a lot of hits and has a few different things he’s working on to get back. We’ll see how that goes. Kenny will take over [on December 10] in practice and get going, and we’ll surely go slow with Geno as we bring him back.”
Raiders Urged to Go With Kenny Pickett
Nonetheless, even though Carroll is set on keeping Smith in the lineup when healthy, former Raiders wide receiver James Jones takes a very different view of the situation.
“We’re in the National Football League,” Jones said on the December 7 edition of “Raiders Postgame Live. “”When you don’t do your job, you get benched, or you get cut. That’s just the name of the business. I don’t care how much money you make. That’s just what happens to you. We’ve been scoring what? 14, 15 points a game? Yeah. So this ain’t no, Geno Smith has only had one bad game.
“We’re 2-11. Geno Smith has not played good football for a long time. You have to go with Kenny Pickett. There’s no other option to go with unless you go with Kenny Pickett to see if you could get a spark. As an offensive player, we have not been scoring. We need a spark. We need something different. The quarterback always gets blamed. It ain’t fair, but that’s what happens.”
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