The Las Vegas Raiders have struggled to find an offensive identity in recent seasons. The team's head coaches and play-callers have been undesirable, but the quarterback play, in particular, has sunk the team on more than just a few occasions.
Las Vegas found a surefire solution to their issues under center when they traded for Geno Smith this offseason, pairing him with Pete Carroll. Finally, the team had a veteran that they could rely on, and he put together one of the best Raiders quarterback performances in recent memory in Week 1.
But Week 2 was an entirely different story for Smith, as he crumbled on the big stage of Monday Night Football. He completed just 24 of his 43 passes for 180 yards and tossed three interceptions, leading the Silver and Black to just nine points in front of a national audience.
Geno Smith must bounce back to instill confidence in Raiders
Raider Nation has very little patience with the quarterback position, as they have been starved for a difference maker, truly, since the days of Rich Gannon in the early 2000s. If Smith doesn't respond well in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders, the fan base may start some unwanted chatter.
Whether that is an overreaction or not is neither here nor there. The most important thing is that the team needs to see their star quarterback and fearless leader bounce back and show that he was unfazed by what was hopefully just a one-off performance.
Washington's front seven is fierce, so it may be another week where the team fails to get the run game going, and Smith may not have a lot of time to throw the ball. However, he needs to be able to stand in the face of this adversity and answer the call for the Raiders' offense.
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Obviously, Smith will be the team's starting quarterback for the entire season, barring injury, and he'll likely be under center to begin next year as well. But he is already on the ropes heading into Week 3 because he has to prove that last week was an exception, not the rule.
Fortunately, the Commanders' secondary is not exactly stout. Their starting safety duo of Quan Martin and Will Harris has underwhelmed through two weeks, and their cornerbacks, even Marshon Lattimore, have struggled in the early part of the 2025 campaign.
Fans should have full faith in Smith to recover from his shortcomings in Week 2 and play well with his back against the wall. If he doesn't, fans will surely start clamoring for the next great quarterback from the college ranks, but Smith has full control over whether those conversations happen or not.