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(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
The Las Vegas Raiders dropped to 2-11 in the 2025 NFL season following a 24-17 defeat against the Denver Broncos on December 7 at Allegiant Stadium. Attention now turns to the quarterback situation as Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles approaches.
Geno Smith exited in the second half due to an injury, leaving backup Kenny Pickett to step in. Pickett, the former first-round pick, completed 8 of 11 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown.
With Smith banged up, the question is: Should the Raiders hand the reins over to Pickett to see if he can provide a spark to the offense, which has failed to score over 20 points in their last five games? For former Raiders wide receiver James Jones, the answer is yes.
“We’re in the National Football League,” Jones said on “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.”
Will the Raiders Start Kenny Pickett in Week 15?
With Pickett providing the offense a spark and Smith working through an injury, Raiders head coach Pete Carroll was asked who he plans to start at quarterback in Week 15 against the Eagles.
“Let me just wait and see what happens,“ Carroll told reporters postgame. “I’m going to do what I think is the right thing to do. If Geno can play, that’s my thought. But I know Kenny can play. Our players understood it, too. Kenny did a good job. They recognize that he might pull the game.
“I’m hoping for Geno to get back out there and see how he does, but we’re not going to play if he’s not right. Kenny will be ready to go, and Aiden [O’Connell] will be ready to go as well. That’s just the way we deal with it.”
Pete Carroll Has Belief in Raiders QB Kenny Pickett
Even after hinting that Smith might get the nod against the Philadelphia Eagles, Carroll said he still sees qualities in Pickett that he values if the backup ends up stepping in.
“I’ve seen a lot of Kenny in practice when they always come back to that,“ Carroll added. “He’s active, he’s quick, he’s really athletic, he’s a good thinker. He’s a really clearly competitive guy that gets situational football and knows what’s going on…
“But his mentality, and I’m coaching the hell out of him because I want him to be ready if the opportunity pops. This is exactly how we did it with Geno for years. However long it takes for the opportunity, he’s going to be ready to go.
“He’s got enough stuff to him. His athleticism, I keep in mind, use your legs and run because he’s really quick. He can’t explode, get in the secondary, make things happen. It’s often helpful to him trying to make him see his way. I’m really positive about him. I love that he’s on our team.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. He previously covered the league for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has contributed as a freelance writer for The Sporting News. He also served as an editor for Athlon Sports and Heavy Sports focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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