The Las Vegas Raiders traded a third-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for quarterback Geno Smith this offseason, and the fan base knew immediately that this was going to be a massive upgrade. Because he is a Raider now, however, he had no shortage of people trying to tear him down.
Perhaps the biggest knock on Smith was that he takes too many chances and is careless with the ball. But he and the Raiders were able to overcome a handful of risky throws to earn a 20-13 victory against the New England Patriots in Week 1.
A more specific gripe about Smith was his statistical splits when playing in a covered dome instead of an outdoor stadium. Based on the numbers, it seemed like Smith was going to struggle mightily in outdoor games this season, but through one week, that has already been proven false.
Raiders' Geno Smith dominates against Patriots in outdoor stadium
On Sunday, not only did Smith play well in the open air of Gillette Stadium, but he played well in a rainy environment with a wet ball and despite poor offensive line play. He finished 24-for-34 with 362 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
What made his performance more impressive, however, was the faith that he displayed in himself with some of the tight-window throws that he made. He connected with seven different Raiders receivers, five of whom caught a pass for more than 23 yards, four of whom averaged over 20.6 yards per catch.
This elite performance was nothing new to Smith, however, who told reporters after the game that he expected this of himself.
"I'm me. That's all I think about. I don't think about anything else; I'm me. I know who I am, I know what I can do," Smith said. "Mistakes happen, things happen within the game. There was a tipped pass, I made the right read, could've made a better throw. ... Not going to hang my head, Imma keep going. ... I just know who I am. I know what I can do on that field so I never worry."
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It is an absolute breath of fresh air for Raider Nation to have a quarterback whose confidence matches his ability on the field. Smith also broke a 45-year-old franchise record for most passing yards in a Raiders debut, so he is separating himself in the box score and record books as well.
Smith achieved all of this despite inconsistent blocking and facing a highly praised Patriots defense. Unfortunately, things will not be any easier when the team welcomes the 1-0 Los Angeles Chargers to Allegiant Stadium on Monday Night Football in Week 2.
But Smith quickly defied the notion that he can only play indoors with his dominant performance on Sunday. If he can play at this level for the entire season and things continue to click around him, the sky may be the limit for this Raiders offense.