Raiders QB Geno Smith Endures Poor Performance in Loss to Chargers

On the heels of an historic performance in his Raiders debut, Geno Smith endured a rough outing on Monday Night Football.

Normally efficient, Smith completed just 24-of-43 passes for only 180 yards in Las Vegas’ 20-9 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. And in addition to failing to produce much offense, Smith also threw three costly interceptions.

Smith’s poor showing came after he threw for 362 yards – the most ever for any Raiders quarterback in a debut – with a pair of touchdowns against the Patriots. Smith was also efficient in Week 1, completing 70.6% of his passes.

Smith even became the first Las Vegas quarterback since 2023 to complete three or more passes of 20 plus yards in the first quarter of his first game wearing the silver and black.

The Raiders traded for Smith after Seattle decided to go in another younger direction, eventually bringing in Sam Darnold.

In his final season in Seattle, Smith threw for 4,320 yards while completing 70.4% of his passes. Smith also ran for 272 yards on the ground. He scored 23 total touchdowns to go along with 15 interceptions, his second highest total from a single season after his rookie year with the Jets.

Before being drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Jets, Smith racked up 11,662 passing yards and 98 touchdowns across three years as the starting quarterback for WVU, including 42 passing touchdowns to just six interceptions during his senior year. He finished his career near the top of most statistical passing categories for the program, leading the Mountaineers to a trio of bowl games and an Orange Bowl win.

A 2013 second round pick of the Jets, Smith washed out of New York after two seasons as the starter, playing sparsely until 2022 when he earned the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award. From there, he caught on with the Seattle Seahawks and enjoyed a career renaissance until being traded to the Raiders.

Find more coverage of Geno Smith at WV Sports Now.