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Kenny Pickett of the Las Vegas Raiders
The Philadelphia Eagles could see a familiar face on the other side of the field next week.
The Las Vegas Raiders will be making the trip to Lincoln Financial Field in Week 15, but could be without one key player. In Sunday’s game against the Broncos, the Raiders’ starting quarterback, Geno Smith, suffered a right shoulder injury and was replaced by Kenny Pickett at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
So, that puts Smith’s availability against the Eagles in question. And if he is indeed sidelined, that means Pickett, who spent the 2024 season in Philadelphia, will be set to start against his former team.
However, Carroll is making it clear that nothing is set in stone just yet.
“I’m going to do what I think is the right thing to do, and if Geno can play, that’s my thought,” Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said. “But I know Kenny can play, and so our players understood it too that Kenny did a good job, and they recognized that in the locker room after the game.
“I’m rooting for Geno to get back out there and see how he does. But we’re not gonna play him if he’s not right. So Kenny will be ready to go, and Aidan (O’Connell) will be ready to go as well. And that’s how we’ll deal with it.”
Raiders Fans Want Kenny Pickett To Start Over Geno Smith
GettyGeno Smith of the Las Vegas Raiders
Despite their 2-11 record, the Raiders put up a good fight against the Broncos, who are 11-2, only losing by a touchdown. And much of that was thanks to Pickett, who came in and helped the team score 10 points in the fourth quarter.
After the game, fans let it be known how they feel about Carroll’s decision to keep playing Smith over Pickett.
“KENNY PICKETT DID IN 2 MINUTES WHAT GENO COULDNT IN 13 WEEKS,” one person wrote on X.
“Kenny Pickett plays one full drive and looked better than Geno did all season,” another person commented.
“I’ve seen what I need to see. Kenny Pickett for QB1 for now…lol,” one person posted.
“If Pete doesn’t start Kenny Pickett next week, he should be fired as Head Coach! Kenny just proved that he can be the Man as he threw a TD Pass and then moved the ball down the field and set up a Field Goal! All of this within the last minutes of the contest!,” another person said.
Eagles Focused On Week 14 Quarterback Matchup 
GettyJustin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers
All week, the status of Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has remained up in the air after he injured his hand during the team’s Week 13 game, with it being revealed afterwards that he had broken his left hand. Herbert underwent surgery on Monday, but the team refused to rule him out for Monday night. He was listed as questionable in the team’s final injury report, and one NFL Insider provided some additional information.
“Yeah, talking to people around the building, everybody has high hopes for Justin Herbert to play on Monday,” NFL Network’s Omar Ruiz said on The Insiders on Friday night. “(The Chargers have) seen him over the years — how tough he’s been battling through several other injuries throughout the course of his career. And then just seeing him on Sunday come back into that Raiders game after hurting his hand, and playing as effectively as he did. All signs why there is that optimism that he plays on Monday.”
Sophie Weller Sophie Weller is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com. She also works for Patriots Wire, and previously spent time with A to Z Sports and MassLive. She is based out of Boston, Massachusetts, and loves all things football! More about Sophie Weller
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