The Las Vegas Raiders have now lost 11 of their last 12 games after losing 24-17 to the Denver Broncos Sunday.
While the Raiders are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention and have nothing to play for but pride, it was nice to see the team put up more of a fight against the American Football Conference’s top team.
The first meeting between these division rivals was horrific to watch and was arguably the worst game of the season in the National Football League this season. Denver won 10-7 on Thursday Night Football in Week 10 and Las Vegas couldn’t muster more than one score the entire game.
This week was a different story, and while the final score makes it seem like this was a close game, it really wasn’t. But this was a much cleaner game for the Raiders offense that has been in shambles all season long.
Raiders Quarterback Geno Smith left the game with hand and shoulder injuries and was eventually replaced by backup Kenny Pickett, who outplayed Smith.
We could be seeing two things: a quarterback swap and the last start for Smith as a Raider. Smith completed 13 of 21 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown and rushed for four yards on one carry. Pickett completed eight of 11 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown and rushed for six yards on one carry.
It appears Smith’s time in Las Vegas is winding down after signing a two-year extension prior to the start of the season.
There is some good news for Raiders fans after watching this game, Las Vegas may have an offensive lineman worth building around.
Rookie right guard Caleb Rogers was impressive in his second consecutive start and could be a building block for this weak line moving forward.
“If there's a positive from Las Vegas' seventh straight loss, it should be Rogers' performance,” ESPN’s Ryan McFadden wrote Monday. “The rookie third-round pick started for the second straight game but was fairly solid. He gave up just one sack against the league's best pass rush. The Raiders' offensive line play hasn't been great, but Rogers has created a bit of optimism for the future.”
Las Vegas’ schedule doesn’t get any easier with an upcoming Week 15 matchup against the defending-Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on the road. It will be interesting to see if head coach Pete Carroll starts Smith against the Eagles or if he will give Pickett the start against his former team.