The Las Vegas Raiders have been awful to begin the 2025 season as they entered Week 5 with a 1-3 record. Much of their struggles fall on the shoulders of quarterback Geno Smith and the offense. Through four games, he has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns.
In fact, his seven interceptions are the most in the NFL while Las Vegas' eight turnovers were tied for the lead league. Simply put, Smith has not been worth the third-round pick it took to acquire him or the contract that he received before ever playing a snap for the Raiders.
Las Vegas got off to a slow start against the Indianapolis Colts as they trailed 20-3 at the half. Their quarterback play has, once again, factored into the deficit. Smith was 12-18, throwing for 134 yards, no touchdowns and one interception while taking two sacks.
Raiders find themselves on the short end of the stick as refs miss call
The first sack Smith took was a game-changer, as he missed Ian Thomas, who looked open for a touchdown, and failed to throw the ball away, which could've preserved the Raiders' chances at getting six instead of three.
Las Vegas, once again, got to the red zone late in the second quarter while trailing 14-3; however, Smith threw his eighth interception of the season. While his play this season can't be excused, the referees missed a blatant call that could've prevented his latest pick.
Raiders fans are used to the referees making questionable calls to favor their opponents. But the officials missed a blatant offside on DeForest Buckner that should've given Las Vegas a free play on Smith's latest interception.
NFL on FOX shared the clip where the two-time All-Pro can clearly be seen jumping early.
COLTS WITH A BIG INT 🔥
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 5, 2025
📺FOX pic.twitter.com/qaMo4JyVxX
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They also shared Pete Carroll's reaction to the no-call as the Raiders head coach was not thrilled with the officiating crew.
Pete Carroll with some words for the official pic.twitter.com/rDcNXvVPRq
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 5, 2025
The play was a turning point as Las Vegas had an opportunity to make it a one-score game, while they were also set to start the second half with the ball. Instead, the Colts took possession and, ultimately, control of the game.
Making matters worse, just six plays later, Adam Butler was called offside after making a third-down stop on a Daniel Jones quarterback sneak. Indianapolis took advantage of the new set of downs and went down the field and scored a touchdown to take complete control.
While the Raiders have continued to shoot themselves in the foot, the blown call from the referees only compounded their problems and gave them more to overcome.