The Las Vegas Raiders broke a four-game winning streak with a 20-10 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 6. The defense was excellent, but the offense continued to struggle.
The Raiders have been waiting for Geno Smith to have a good game this season, but they’ll have to continue waiting. While Smith wasn’t terrible in Week 6, he only threw for 174 yards and threw his 10th interception of the season.
Even with the win, Smith reached a feat that he shouldn’t be too proud of. According to ESPN Research, he’s the first quarterback to throw 10 interceptions in the first six games of the season since Kirk Cousins in 2020.
There are a lot of bad quarterbacks who have started games since 2020, so the fact that Smith is the first to throw 10 interceptions in six games isn’t a good sign. He threw 15 interceptions last season, which was third-most in the NFL. He’s on pace to throw even more this year.
Luckily for the Raiders, they were able to overcome Smith’s interception against the Titans, as the defense forced three turnovers. Las Vegas was fortunate to have a great defensive performance. The offense is still trying to work out the kinks, but it’ll be easier to figure things out if the defense keeps playing like that.
Raiders Still Need to Be Better
The Raiders should be happy just to get back into the win column, but the Titans were the worst team in the NFL last season and have looked just as bad this year. The game was never particularly close, but this should’ve been a game where the offense moved the ball more consistently.
At 2-4, the Raiders aren’t out of the mix yet. However, they play the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7. While they haven’t had a great season either, they are still a very difficult team to beat, especially on the road.
A win over the Chiefs in Kansas City would be a huge momentum booster heading into the bye week. It’s one thing to beat a terrible Titans team, but beating the defending AFC champions would be a huge statement.
When Will Smith Finally Have a Complete Game?
Every quarterback has bad games every season, but the Raiders haven’t had a truly good or great game from Smith yet. They traded for him this offseason and gave him a big contract, but it’s fair to argue that he’s only been a marginal upgrade over the Gardner Minshew-Aidan O’Connell pairing from last season.
This game against the Titans was the perfect time for him to finally put together a complete game, but he failed. The Chiefs have one of the best past defenses in the NFL right now, so things don’t get easier for Smith.
At the very least, the Raiders need Smith not to turn the ball over. Their chances of upsetting the Chiefs would go up significantly if they take care of the ball. The Raiders offense does have talent, so it’s a matter of time before they start to click. It remains to be seen if that will happen in Week 7.
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