The Las Vegas Raiders need Geno Smith to play better in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs, or else serious changes may be considered during the Week 8 bye. With capable backups like Kenny Pickett and Aidan O'Connell on the roster, there is no reason to settle for below-average play.
Smith leads the league with ten interceptions, and he has likely cost the Raiders two games with his turnovers alone. Raider Nation had high hopes for the offense all offseason, thinking that it would be in the upper half of the league in scoring.
That has not been the case as, heading into the matchup with the Chiefs, their 17.2 points per game are tied for the third-fewest in the league. Smith is starting to fall out of favor around the league, and he recently received some strong criticism from Lincoln Kennedy, a two-time All-Pro for the Raiders.
Raiders legend weighs in on Geno Smith's play through six games
Smith has not looked like the player he was during his tenure with the Seattle Seahawks, as he has been among the worst quarterbacks in the league over the first six weeks. Lincoln Kennedy recentlycalled out his play, claiming Smith looked shell-shocked in Week 6 against the Tennessee Titans.
"I've watched a lot of football. I have not seen a lot of games where Geno Smith was quarterback, but I had seen some games, most notably in Seattle. Yesterday was the first time that I watched Geno Smith play guarded, and, look, I can't blame him. He's shell-shocked because there is a point, and when I watch his reads, when I watch his head from my vantage point, because I can't see his eyes from where I'm standing or sitting, I watch him survey and if his first reads gone and if he doesn't absolutely believe in that first read, he holds onto the ball just a slight bit longer," Kennedy said. "'I'm going to try to wait for something to come open, but I'm not going to take that risk. I'm not going to take that chance.' What we are now seeing are defenses that play against the Raiders are like, 'You know what? I'm going to challenge you to throw it long. I don't believe you're going to throw it long because I don't believe that you have a receiver that can defeat press man coverage and get that separation against my best corner. I don't think you have that, and so you're not going to try it.' More importantly, from the offensive standpoint, because Geno is hindered, because Geno is shell-shocked, playing guarded, he can't really have a lot of those throws where it's like, 'Okay, I know he's going to come open there, let me get it there.' That's what an accurate quarterback in the NFL needs to do in order to be successful."
This is some pretty harsh criticism from Kennedy, but it is certainly warranted. Smith has not looked like himself, and he needs to play better for the Raiders to have a fighting chance against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
RELATED: Michael Mayer said what every Raiders fan needed to hear about Geno Smith
Kennedy added that playing guarded can lead quarterbacks to play stressed, which leads to mistakes. This certainly sounds like Smith, as his interceptions alone do not tell the story of how much he has struggled in 2025.
Fortunately for the Raiders, there is still plenty of time for Smith to turn things around. The veteran quarterback could do plenty to get the fan base back on his side with a big game against the Chiefs this Sunday.
But if he continues to struggle and leaves Las Vegas' defense out to dry once again, the noise for him to be benched won't get quieter; it will get louder.