The Las Vegas Raiders went from an offseason of ceaseless hype to another year as one of the worst teams in the league. Pete Carroll's Raiders have now lost six of their last seven games, and Geno Smith again showed why his best days as a starting quarterback in this league are behind him.
Even though Smith threw for four touchdowns against a fairly well-regarded Jacksonville Jaguars defense, three of which went to star tight end Brock Bowers in his return from injury, it was ultimately another Smith failure in crunch time that helped the Jags escape with a 30-29 victory.
After Bowers' third touchdown of the game, which cut Jacksonville's overtime lead to 30-29, Smith had the chance to end the game with a two-point conversion to a wide-open Tyler Lockett. Unfortunately, Smith's hesitation ultimately cost the Raiders a chance to pick up their third win.
Geno Smith's crucial mistake cost Raiders on OT two-point conversion
Smith pump-faked before throwing the ball, which left just enough time for Jaguars defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton to get his big mitts up there and knock down the pass. With a quarterback who is seeing the field better, there's a good chance that ball is ripped into Lockett's arms for the win.
He may have added to his problems by refusing to take the appropriate accountability. Rather than acknowledging that he held the ball for too long, Smith said that he made the right play and Hamilton ruined it with his great timing. Carroll also touched on the play during his press conference.
"Tyler was wide open in the back of the end zone, and the play was perfect, and they tipped the ball. I didn't see who tipped it. I couldn't see that; I'm looking at Tyler," Carroll said. "I think he catches (the ball) to win the game. I thought we won the game. Geno went right to him. It was exactly right. We just got the ball knocked down."
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Smith has thrown 11 touchdown passes in eight games this season, but his 11 interceptions are tied with the Miami Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa for the most in the league. Smith was largely turnover-averse in Seattle, so this has been a concerning development after the Raiders gave him a huge extension.
The veteran quarterback has played so badly that the Raiders are starting to scout some of the top quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, Alabama's Ty Simpson, and Oregon's Dante Moore (who has a checkered history with Chip Kelly) may need to look for some rentals in Las Vegas to eventually replace Smith.
While the return of Bowers could help get this offense back on track, Smith has been so poor this season that it is hard to imagine a scenario where he evolves into a quarterback that Raiders fans can be proud of. This game-defining play was just the latest example of his shortcomings.