The Las Vegas Raiders have been awful to begin the 2025 NFL season, as they sit at 1-4 heading into their Week 6 matchup with the Tennessee Titans. Fans can't help but think that if Geno Smith had played better, they could be sitting at 3-2 and in a prime position to make a postseason run with how wide-open the AFC is.
The veteran quarterback has simply not lived up to the offseason hype surrounding his arrival. While his league-leading nine interceptions have been well-documented, Smith is also near the bottom of the leaderboards in countless other statistics.
Pete Carroll has been hesitant to call out his starting quarterback, as he has made several excuses for Smith's poor play. On Friday, however, he revealed one area where he believes the two-time Pro Bowler needs to improve.
Pete Carroll shares what he wants to see Geno Smith fix
Smith has been among the worst quarterbacks in the entire NFL this season; however, he has received plenty of slack from his head coach. After being told that he has taken the fourth-longest time to throw in the league, however, Carroll noted that he wants the ball out quicker.
"We want the ball out much quicker than that," Carroll said."He's not been consistent with his passing, so we got to do better."
This seems like a simple or insignificant ask, but it may very well be the thing that fixes Smith. Even veteran quarterbacks need a hard reset sometimes, and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly can help him out with this by dialing up quick-hitters instead of giving him time to make multiple reads.
While Smith enters Week 6 ranked 11th in passing yards, he ranks just 23rd in completion percentage, tied for 19th in passing touchdowns, 31st in passer and 27th in QBR. His average time to throw of 2.97 seconds could be a contributing factor to his slow start, however, he has also made plenty of bad decisions with the football.
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Carroll also addressed the team's identity and what he hopes things will look like going forward. It's safe to say that he, too, is frustrated by the turnovers and wants to find solutions.
"We want to be a really well-rounded, balanced football team. That means you can count on all three phases, and we're doing well and coming through," Carroll said. "Whether you turn the ball over by them taking the ball off an interception or you give them a field position change with a return, those are turnovers. It's all the same thing. They're not listed the same, but they have the same impact on the games. So, we have to get rid of all that stuff. That can't be part of our play."
The Raiders have lacked an identity over the first five weeks of the season, something that former wide receiver James Jones pointed out. Las Vegas ranks 16th in passing attempts and 19th in rushing attempts, so they're not really dominating in any aspect, but they are seemingly well-balanced, like Carroll wants.
They have also struggled in all three phases to begin the year. While they rank 30th in scoring offense and 25th in scoring defense, they have been the worst team in the league in both average starting field position and opponents' average starting field position
This is obviously not a recipe for success, as evidenced by the Raiders' 1-4 start. Las Vegas needs to begin cleaning up its mistakes, which includes the second-worst turnover ratio in the NFL, if they are going to turn things around. If Smith can get rid of the ball quickly like Carroll wants, perhaps that will solve at least a portion of the issue.