The Las Vegas Raiders aren't going anywhere during the 2025 NFL season; that much is clear. They are now 1-4 after an embarrassing beatdown at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5, and almost nothing went right for the team all day.
After a strong Week 1 showing, fans were optimistic about Geno Smith. But that has come crashing down in an unbelievable way, as the veteran has been arguably the worst quarterback in the NFL through the first five weeks of the season.
He had another awful showing on Sunday, completing 25-of-36 passes for 228 yards and two interceptions, taking four more sacks. His stats also would have looked much worse if he hadn't gotten a cushion on the final drive of the game, inflating his numbers for no real reason.
Smith also turned it over in the red zone once again, and he could've thrown a handful more picks if the Colts' defenders caught every one that came their way.
Raiders aren't salvaging anything by keeping Geno Smith under center
Still, the Raiders refused to bench Smith. They could've made a change and tried to grab some momentum when the game was slipping away, or at least given backup Kenny Pickett the entire fourth quarter to show what he is capable of, once the game was out of reach.
However, head coach Pete Carroll is apparently too joined at the hip with Smith to make the logical decision, which would be to bench Smith for Pickett. The Colts put in their backup, Anthony Richardson Sr., early in the fourth quarter, acknowledging that the game was over.
But Carroll wouldn't do the same by putting in Pickett for Smith. It just makes no sense that the team does not want to see Pickett, whom they spent a fifth-rounder to acquire just before the season. If they have no faith in him, it begs the question of why he is on the roster.
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There is really no endgame here for Las Vegas with Carroll and Smith. Both are aging and at the end of their rope, but are not having any immediate success. If they were younger or still learning, it would behoove the team to keep giving them more chances to learn on the job. But that's not the case.
Not even ESPN's Mina Kimes, a staunch defender of Smith, can justify his play. The Associated Press's Josh Dubow also pointed out that Smith has thrown the second-most interceptions through the first five games of the season in the last 10 years.
It is obvious that this Raiders team is not going anywhere as long as Smith is under center. It's unfathomable that he has been this bad for the Silver and Black in 2025, but here we are. Las Vegas is not saving anything by keeping him in the lineup instead of Pickett.
They are hurting the development of the young pass-catchers, making life harder for Ashton Jeanty and the defense, and they are frustrating Raider Nation to no end. They are only delaying the inevitable, which is that the team needs a new quarterback under center as soon as possible.