It’s hard to find positives in a 40-6 loss and follow to 1-4, but the Las Vegas Raiders can look at the bright side and see they have a top talent at running back in Ashton Jeanty.
Jeanty totaled 67 rushing yards and added 42 receiving yards, giving the rookie over 100 yards from scrimmage. It’s back-to-back weeks in which the Boise State product has an impressive showing after struggling to start the season.
Nonetheless, the 21-year-old didn’t focus on his stat line and stated that the reason for the loss to the Indianapolis Colts is not taking advantage of trips to the red zone and finishing drives with touchdowns.
“I mean, as an offense, we just didn’t finish drives in the red zone,” Jeanty told reporters postgame on October 5. “I mean, to me, that’s it. Get to the red zone [and] you got to put points on the board (…) [We’ve] just got to get better. I mean [we’ve] got to capitalize in the red zone right now. I think [we’re] probably one of the worst teams in the red zone.
“[We’ve] got to get better. And on third down, fourth down, [we’ve] got to be better. So, I can’t say there’s a specific answer. [We’ve] just got to go back, watch the film, then everybody look in the mirror and see how [they] can get better.”
Raiders Appear to Be Sticking With Geno Smith
One aspect of the position that needs to improve is the play at quarterback, as turnovers continue to haunt Geno Smith. In the loss to the Colts, Smith went 25-for-36 for 228 yards but threw two interceptions, continuing his turnover issues.
Smith was brought in to give the young Raiders offense some veteran leadership. Instead, it’s the 34-year-old who’s been making the kind of mistakes usually seen from rookies or second- and third-year players. Even so, head coach Pete Carroll explained why Kenny Pickett didn’t come in once the game was essentially decided.
“Here’s the reason why I didn’t do that: We need to stay out there and keep practicing,“ Carroll said postgame when asked if there was a thought to bench Smith for Pickett. “We need to keep practicing, we need the reps, we need the turns, we need to run the system, we need to feel it, we need to see the guys get the opportunities to improve.
“I thought about it because there was a chance to do that. … That’s not what’s necessary. We need to get better and get right, so these are the games that we’re working on, and these are the games that we learn from and grow from so that we can change the course of the way games are going.”
Should the Raiders Have Gone to Kenny Pickett
Former Raiders wide receiver James Jones isn’t saying Pickett should take over as the starter, but he did question Pete Carroll’s decision not to give the former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback some snaps once the game was out of reach, just to see what he could offer.
“When you’re losing the way we have lost a couple of games this season, [you] put Kenny Pickett in there and see what he can do,“ Jones said on “Raiders Postgame Live.“ “Not only that, Geno Smith has been struggling.
“So now you’re losing a game and he’s struggling, and [you’re] putting him in a pass situation only for him to make another mistake. That’s not going to help his confidence. Put Kenny Pickett out there. We don’t know if Geno Smith is the future of this team. We don’t know that.”
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