The Raiders turned in a disappointing 20-9 loss to the Chargers on Monday night, and there were a lot of factors that contributed to the team having an off night.
Brock Bowers wasn’t at full strength. The offensive line wasn’t good. The offensive play-calling was questionable, and Geno Smith didn’t seem comfortable at very many points in the game.
Whether it was the Chargers’ defense and/or other contributing factors, Smith looked like a different quarterback on Monday night (compared to the New England game) and at least one media personality covering the team said he felt something like wasn’t the same about Smith going into the game.
On Tuesday, Raider Nation Radio host Q Myers talked about Smith’s effort on Monday night and said he felt like the veteran quarterback had been in a little different frame of mind all week.
“I’ll tell you this, and I said it to anybody who was listening to me in the press box… Geno really didn’t look like himself, even when we met with him on Thursday at the facility, and he spoke at the podium, and I think I said it on this show, that he was very businesslike. He just didn’t seem like he was in the same frame of mind that he was in going into week one,” Myers said on the Locked on Raiders podcast.
“I don’t know if that’s because he got a little bit banged up in that Patriots game, dealing with a little bit of a hamstring issue. I don’t know what it was that he just didn’t seem like his normal self even on Thursday, and he didn’t look like his normal self on Monday either,” Myers continued. “Now, again, the good thing is it’s only two games into the season, but you want to make sure that ‘bad Geno’ does not become a recurring thing, right? The Raiders can’t afford to have that kind of performance from their quarterback like that again.”
Going into week 3, Smith stands alone as the only quarterback in the league with four interceptions, and that will likely be a point of emphasis this week at practice.
Head coach Pete Carroll talks a lot about winning the turnover margin and the Raiders turned the ball over three times on Monday night – with all three turnovers coming on interceptions.
Smith will be expected to take care of the ball better in week 3 against the Washington Commanders, and if there was something affecting him going into the Chargers game (as referenced above), it would be interesting to know what that might have been.
x: @raidersbeat
There was nothing wrong, with the offensive calling. It was the execution that failed. Smith made far too many bad decisions. And his accuracy for the most part was also off the mark.
Completely agree. Chip can’t overcome a bad interior OL & an inaccurate QB
He could try to call some easier throws not just bombs away. The entire offense looked bad because they depend on Bowers to set the table. Not the running game, not play action but Bowers 1st, 2nd and maybe 3rd option. We won’t win many games with that kind of strategy because Geno is who he is, sometimes a real good QB but a lot of the time a forced QB who can’t read defenses.
There were guys open underneath. You think everyone was running a nine route? Please.
QB’s will always struggle with little threat of the run, lousy run and pass blocking, covered receivers, and very questionable play calling in the passing game, especially when the defense has two safeties deep. That said, he also seemed to predetermine where he was going with the ball
Totally agree with Greg. Yes, Geno was harassed too much by Chargers D but when he did have time, he missed multiple throws to open receivers. If he had made even two of those throws, we would have had a chance. It was a terribly disappointing game. I recall this pattern from the Seahawks. He would look great and the next game mediocre or worse. Let’s get back to execution, please.
No ****!
That’s ominous. I didn’t see any effort issues, but he did play terribly…. It might have been the last meaningful play, where Smith escaped pressure multiple times, 6 or 7 seconds must have gone by, Geno was scrambling to his left, and he throws the ball out of bounds, with a receiver ruining forward the sideline, but still not particularly close. It wasn’t quite as bad as Carr throwing the ball at his RB’s feet on 4th down, but with all that time, there wasn’t anyone open, or at least a more competitive throw to make? It just seemed weird to me.
Guys were open. That shot to the end zone in double coverage that was picked? Dude was wide open at the first down line underneath. Bad decision bad throw. The game was full of them. I know when Pete was looking at the film, he’s gonna see all the bad decisions he made
That said that first shot in the end zone Meyer’s was blatantly interfered with before the ball got there. No call. There was another first downthrow that would’ve moved the chains and extended to drive on third down. I forget who the receiver was I think it was Thornton? No flag. When you throw two picks and the officials are jobing you it doesn’t matter how good your defense plays. But I repeat, a field goal on our last drive and we’re only down by eight.
That in of itself is pretty amazing.
NOTHING WAS AFFECTING HIM!! That is the way that Geno Smith plays!! One week he is good and the next week he stinks the place up!! You don’t have to believe me, just go look at his tape from wherever he has been. He can be good but he can also be bad!! That is the reason they traded for Kenny Pickett who I believe is the best QB on the Raiders roster. If we see more bad Geno, in will come Pickett before the season is lost totally.
How about RUNNING the **** ball. I don’t care if you’re offensive line wasn’t that good could still keep trying get the line themselves better too while making the run game started !?