The Las Vegas Raiders have gotten off to a rough start to the 2025 NFL season, as they are just 1-3. After winning their season opener against the New England Patriots, they have suffered losses to the Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders and Chicago Bears.
Two of those losses fall directly on the shoulders of veteran quarterback Geno Smith, as he threw three interceptions against both the Chargers and Bears in games where the Raiders lost by 11 and one point, respectively.
Las Vegas will go on the road in Week 5 as it faces the Indianapolis Colts, who are a sound team on both sides of the ball. They will, unfortunately, be without star left tackle Kolton Miller, who is headed to injured reserve with an ankle injury. This will only make things harder for Smith and Co.
Geno Smith predicted to have bounce-back game in Raiders win
Smith has already struggled tremendously to start the season, as despite throwing for 948 yards and six touchdowns, he leads the league with seven interceptions and has completed just 63.8% of his passes.
A recent prediction, however, from NFL Spin Zone's Ryan Heckman suggested that Smith will bounce back and lead the Raiders to their second victory under new head coach Pete Carroll.
"Any given Sunday, right? No one would expect this version of the Colts to lose to this version of the Raiders, specifically due to how poorly Geno Smith has played so far. But, as Smith acknowledged after the game, he knows he needs to play better. For this game, at least, Geno follows through," Heckman wrote. "Meanwhile, the Colts get a snippet of what Giants fans saw out of Daniel Jones for so many years. Bad Daniel Jones finally makes an appearance and proves he is, indeed, human. Jones turns the ball over three times while Smith stays relatively turnover-free, accounting for just one interception."
Not only would Jones' struggles be great news for the Las Vegas defense, but Smith playing well would be monumental for the Raiders' offense.
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If Smith is able to bounce back, there is no reason that the Raiders shouldn't be able to get back in the win column. Despite his awful performance on Sunday, Las Vegas had an opportunity to beat the Bears, so if he rebounds, a win wouldn't be out of the cards at all.
Smith has also been much better away from Allegiant Stadium this season. At home, he has thrown for 297 yards, two touchdowns, and six interceptions while completing 59.4% of his passes, posting a 42.3 passer rating. On the road, he has thrown for 651 yards, four touchdowns, one interception and a 68.3% completion percentage, resulting in a 116.6 passer rating.
While the Colts have played well to start the season, they are coming off their first loss after allowing a season-high 462 yards and 360 passing yards. Their passing defense ranks just 21st in yards allowed and 26th in touchdowns allowed.
This prediction wouldn't seem so bold if Smith is able to continue playing well on the road and Las Vegas improves to 2-3.