The Las Vegas Raiders suffered a heartbreaking 25-24 loss to the Chicago Bears on September 28 at Allegiant Stadium, with a blocked field goal deciding the outcome.
It was a rough evening for Geno Smith, who completed 14 of 21 passes for 117 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. The turnovers continue to be a recurring issue for the veteran quarterback over the past three weeks.
Smith didn’t hold back when it came to the self-criticism on his play against the Bears and in recent weeks.
“No. 1, take care of the ball, not throwing interceptions,” Smith told the media after the loss. “That’s the simplest way I can put it to you. First of all, I owe it to my teammates to go out there and play better. I felt like we had a great week of practice; I felt like the process was there.
“I felt like I was feeling good about what I was seeing. The game plan was great. Guys fought their tails off. We deserve to get this win and I let those guys down. So, there’s a lot of things I’m going to have to fix within myself. That’s the reality.”
Raiders’ Geno Smith Is Angry Over His Performance
Moreover, Smith admitted that there’s anger and frustration with himself over how he’s played. The Raiders have had chances to win the games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Bears, but the turnovers have helped tilt the result in the opposition’s favor.
“More so just anger. You know, I know I got to be better. And, for me as a player, like I said, man, I pride myself on my process and the way that I go about things, and you know, there’s some things that I got to do better. I mean, it’s flat out, and it’s in terms of my play on the field. You know, I felt like, like I said, we had a great week of practice. Preparation was there. [The] guys were dialed in.
“You saw how Ashton ran the ball today; you saw how the line played today. You saw how our guys were getting open and how our defense played inspired. How our crowd was electric throughout the game, you know, and if you look at the difference in the game, it was the turnovers, you know, so I mean, simply put, I got to be better.”
Raiders Shouldn’t Bench Geno Smith
Despite throwing three interceptions and struggling with turnovers in recent weeks, former Raiders linebacker Morrison doesn’t think the Silver and Black should bench Smith in favor of backup Kenny Pickett.
“Geno wants to do the right thing, and I get it, but sometimes the best play is getting to the next down, and that’s what he has to work on,” Morrison said on “Raiders Postgame Live.”. “There’s no quarterback situation. Do you sit him? Do you bench him? No. I think you have to work through this. And this is only four games in.
“I hate the hole that the Raiders are in at one and three, but there’s still some room for improvement. And I’ll tell you, Geno Smith is going to be the first guy to say, I have to be better because of what you mentioned. The running game was excellent. I thought a lot of guys did their part, and Geno Smith didn’t do his part.”
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