Pickett’s debut start yielded just 64 yards and an 'F' grade, crushing any fan hopes for offensive improvement and highlighting the Raiders' grim QB situation.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kenny Pickett earned his first start since the end of the 2024 season on Sunday in a 31-0 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. With Geno Smith out due to a shoulder injury in his throwing arm, head coach Pete Carroll was hoping for a statement game from the 27-year-old Pickett. Unfortunately, it was a disastrous day for Pickett and the Raiders' offense.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski couldn’t give Pickett a grade higher than an ‘F’ after his Week 15 outing, and the statistics would agree with such a grade. Pickett failed to even come close to reaching 100 passing yards, finishing the game with just 64 yards on 15 completions. He also failed to find the endzone during the game, finishing with a 0:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Pickett was running around in the pocket all game, being brought down four times for a loss of 35 yards by the Eagles’ defense. In his first start of the season, he got a good taste of what it’s like trying to be productive behind an offensive line as poor as the Raiders’.
“With Pickett in the lineup, some hope existed that his mobility could expand the offense to some degree and provide a little hope as a younger alternative,” Sobleski wrote. “Instead, the Raiders got more of the same from the worst quarterback situation in the NFL (and that includes a team that just started a 44-year-old who hadn't played since the 2020 season).”
After fans had been pushing for a change under center after Smith’s season-long struggles, Pickett failed to make any meaningful changes during his shot in Week 15. He had his chance and led the offense to just 75 total yards, making it a safe bet that as long as Smith is healthy, Pickett won’t be getting any more starts for the rest of the year.
It highlights the grim situation Las Vegas faces in its QB room. After trading for Smith in the offseason and signing him to an extension, the Raiders owe Smith $75 million over the next couple of seasons. That’s a lot of money for somebody who leads the NFL in interceptions with 14 and has won just two games for Las Vegas. And to make matters worse, there’s little optimism, if any, that things will get better for Smith, who turned 35 a couple of months ago.
Pickett showed on Sunday that he doesn’t offer any value as a potential Smith replacement, meaning the Raiders will have to put all their eggs in the basket of the 2026 NFL Draft to find their quarterback of the future. Luckily for them, Smith and Pickett have led them to a record of 2-12, meaning the Raiders are in the position to select first next spring. Still, even if they get their guy via the draft, likely Indiana University’s Fernando Mendoza, the Raiders have far more work to do to build a competent offense that would take them to even a .500 record.