The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the worst teams in the NFL this season. Yet, both times they have played the Denver Broncos this year, it has been a close game. This past Sunday, the two teams met for the second time, and the Broncos emerged victorious, 24-17. During the game, the Raiders’ starting quarterback, Geno Smith, sustained a shoulder injury. An update was provided on Smith following the game.
Will Geno Smith Play in Week 15?
During his postgame press conference, head coach Pete Carroll gave what could be considered an encouraging early update on Smith’s shoulder.
Carroll explained, “It’s just kind of jammed up right now. The early indications that they were able to get didn’t show any damage. His shoulder’s really locked up. So, we’ll see what that means,” according to Raiders.com.
As of Tuesday, the team has released no further information, but Smith’s practice participation on Wednesday should provide a more unambiguous indication of whether he will be available heading into the weekend.
After Smtih left the game, Kenny Pickett took over and surprisingly played well. Pickett completed 72% of his passes ( 8-of-11 ) for 97 yards and threw a touchdown. He statistically had a better day than Smith, who went 13-of-21 (61% completion) for 116 yards and one touchdown. The fact that Pickett had the more efficient outing in fewer snaps is somewhat shocking, especially given the quality of the opponent.
The fact that Pickett had the more efficient outing in fewer snaps is somewhat shocking, especially given the quality of the opponent. Denver has the second-ranked defense, according to PFSN’s defensive impact metric, with a 90.1 impact score. So, the fact that Pickett was able to come in cold and perform better than Smith only highlights how disappointing Smith has been this season.
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Even so, the Raiders would still prefer to have their starter available in Week 15, as they take on a Philadelphia Eagles team that is spiraling. Although Philadelphia’s defense continues to play at a high level, its offense has been one of the worst in the NFL over the past month.
It is never a good sign when a team with postseason aspirations struggles this badly offensively. Thus, if Smith is healthy enough to play, perhaps Las Vegas could pull off one of the most shocking upsets of the season. However, until more is known about Smith’s shoulder on Wednesday, his Week 15 status remains uncertain.
