The Las Vegas Raiders will be facing the Houston Texans this week, and there is a good chance that they get back one of their key players in the matchup. Geno Smith was out last week with a shoulder injury, and head coach Pete Carroll offered an update on the quarterback for Week 16.
“Raiders HC Pete Carroll told SiriusXMNFL that there’s ‘a good chance' that QB Geno Smith will return to the starting lineup Sunday vs. the Texans,” Schefter wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Smith was greatly missed against the Philadelphia Eagles last week, as Kenny Pickett was the starter. The offense did not put any points on the board, and it was a struggle for them to get anything on. That's kind of been the case for the Raiders the entire season, even with Smith as the starting quarterback.
Despite the rough season, Carroll believes that the team is doing whatever they can to win, and he had a fiery rant after their loss to the Eagles.
“They fought their ass off. That was the result… I have nothing but wins and background and history to set our expectations and maintain the standards that we work by. And that’s what we’re doing. We’re still doing it… They’re doing all we’re asking of them and this is the result of it against the world champs last year,” Carroll said.
The Raiders have been inconsistent on both sides of the ball this season, and it's hard to know if it's because of the talent or the coaching. Carroll was brought in during the offseason to turn things around, but he hasn't been able to make much of a change from what happened the past few years.
The only thing the Raiders can do at this point is try to finish the season strong with what they have and hope they can improve their roster during the offseason.
