The Las Vegas Raiders’ struggles continued on Thursday Night Football, falling 10–7 to the Denver Broncos despite another gritty defensive effort. Quarterback Geno Smith delivered another rough outing, finishing with no touchdowns, one interception, and six sacks. With frustrations boiling over, the Raiders fans are calling on head coach Pete Carroll to finally sit the veteran QB.
Fans Demand Pete Carroll Bench Geno Smith
Smith’s struggles continued on Thursday night, completing 16 of 26 passes for 143 yards and an interception before offensive coordinator Chip Kelly leaned heavily on the run game. Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty carried the ball 19 times for 60 yards and scored the Raiders’ only touchdown of the game.
hilarious QB sneak attempt 😂 not even close pic.twitter.com/MVdeoKVCJ0
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) November 7, 2025
Smith, who is ranked 18th in PFSN’s QB Impact metric, now leads the NFL with 12 interceptions and has thrown fewer touchdowns than picks this season. Naturally, frustration is boiling over, with fans directing blame at both Smith and head coach Carroll for refusing to make a change.
“Gonna keep saying it.. get Geno Smith on the bench. Dude is done even when healthy,” one fan wrote.
Gonna keep saying it.. get Geno Smith on the bench. Dude is done even when healthy
— aaron mcabee (@theaaronmcabee) November 7, 2025
“@Raiders please bench geno, guy shouldn’t even be in the league!” wrote another.
“Bench Geno he is terrible,” another fan wrote.
The Raiders do have Kenny Pickett waiting as the backup. While there’s no guarantee he would fare better, he does have previous starting experience, and at 2–7, many believe there’s no harm in trying something new.
“He’s terrible and an absolute embarrassment. And he has 2 huge weapons and work with and can’t do shit. Jeanty has ZERO CHANCE because Geno can’t stretch the field…which leaves 7-9 dudes in the box,” wrote one fan.
“I don’t want to see any of you blame Chip Kelly for running the ball this much after the turnover. Pete Carroll is too stubborn to bench Geno EVEN WHEN HES HURT. Can’t blame Chip for taking the ball out of this guys hands,” wrote another fan.
“Fire Kelly, cut Carlson, bench Geno,” a third fan wrote.
Here are some more reactions:
“Geno smith been in the NFL 13 years. 13!! And somehow he is worse than some of these rookie QBs. And the raiders said here is 45 mil,” a user taunted.
Geno smith been in the NFL 13 years. 13!! And somehow he is worse than some of these rookie QBs. And the raiders said here is 45 mil. pic.twitter.com/auo2OmOpWx
— J (@fortysevenn7) November 7, 2025
“Pete Carroll need to be a man and bench Geno. Defense playing their fucking hearts out and he throwing that shit away. LITERALLY,” onother fan wrote.
“You’re 2-6 Raiders, put Geno on the bench. He’s obviously not right,” a third fan wrote.
“THIS SHOULD BE GENO SMITH LAST GAME FOR THE RAIDERS,” a fourth fan wrote.
It’s a brutal spot for Raiders fans: their starter is struggling mightily, and there’s uncertainty about the backup. But with the season slipping away, the bye week could force tough conversations, and Pickett may get his chance against the Cowboys in Week 11.