The Las Vegas Raiders got out to a solid start against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football, as they led 6-3 after the first quarter. However, Dallas ripped off two straight touchdowns in the second period, and the Raiders desperately needed to respond.
With Las Vegas now down 17-6, the offense put together an incredible drive, albeit too pass-heavy, to move into Cowboys territory. Firmly in field goal range, Smith dropped back to pass for the seventh time in seven plays, and he made an ill-advised throw into a tight window, as he's prone to doing.
Of course, that decision resulted in an interception. Not only did the Raiders lose an opportunity to score, but they gave the ball back to a red-hot Dallas offense, which turned this interception into seven points, giving them a commanding 24-6 lead.
Peyton Manning echoed Raiders fan after Geno Smith's INT vs. Cowboys
On ESPN's Monday Night Football Manningcast, legendary NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning saw the play transpire live. Peyton Manning seemingly jumped into the shoes of Raider Nation for a second with his initial reaction, then immediately went into breaking down Smith's mistake.
"Oh no. No. No. No. No," Manning said. "Eli, guess who was open? The checkdown, again. Jeanty, again, on the swing route. Same thing, don't get bored. Linebackers kept sinking. They sink, check it down. ... He had a good drive going."
That about sums up the Geno Smith experience this year in Las Vegas. Verbal expressions of surprise and frustration, followed by the realization that Smith never had to make the throw in the first place. As Peyton Manning mentioned, Jeanty was open in the flat.
Manning said something that is incredibly astute: "Don't get bored." That, too, sums up the Geno Smith experience. It seems like the veteran quarterback just won't fall in love with the mundane, simple plays that keep drives going and help the rhythm of the offense.
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Instead, he seems fixated on forcing tight-window throws or trying to make things happen, instead of just letting the game come to him and take what the defense gives him. That has gotten him in trouble far too much this season, as evidenced by his NFL-leading 13 interceptions.
In fairness to Smith, the offensive line doesn't always give him a lot of time, and Chip Kelly's play calling does not always provide him with an obvious outlet. But that was not the case on this play. The pocket was clean, Jeanty was open, and Smith still tried to play hero ball.
Smith has had a number of passes deflected that have turned into interceptions, which, if you ask him, he would blame on dumb luck. But these plays only happen to a quarterback who blindly throws the ball where there are several defenders who can make a play on the ball.
There are just seven games remaining for the Raiders in the 2025 NFL season, and if Smith doesn't start showing some serious signs of improvement, there is no way that head coach Pete Carroll and the organization can justify trotting him back out there next year.