Geno Smith, Raiders Must Fix Pressing Issue

The Las Vegas Raiders' season may still be in its early stages. However, the Raiders' third consecutive loss was an ugly one.

Why the Raiders Lost to the Bears

Thomas Valentine of Pro Football Focus recently analyzed every game from Week 4. Valentine explained why the Raiders lost to the Bears on Sunday. Geno Smith was undoubtedly the main reason why the Raiders lost a winnable game. Las Vegas has now lost three consecutive games.

"Another rough outing for Geno Smith. The Raiders quarterback has had a tough start to life in Las Vegas and was problematic again in Week 4. Smith’s decision-making seems all over the place, and the veteran quarterback threw another three interceptions against the Bears across three turnover-worthy plays," Valentine said.

Smith's play has continued to put the Raiders' defense in challenging positions. They almost always step up to the plate. However, as Sunday proved that there is only so much the defense can do, if Smith continues to give the ball to the other team.

Following Sunday's loss, Smith analyzed what happened on his three interceptions. Smith now has seven interceptions on the season, which is the most in the league. Smith knows he must figure things out.

“The first two, I thought Kevin [Byard lll] made great plays. They were playing Tampa 2, he's the Tampa safety player. He's carrying the vertical, as soon as I cut the ball loose, he stops, he dives and catches one. The other one, it kind of just hit him right in the chest. I'm putting this on myself, but sometimes they make great plays,” Smith said. 

“The last one was just a terrible throw. And the reality is, again, is that I'm better than that, and I know that. Like I said, I don't know what the outside is going to say, I really don't care, but internally, I hold myself to a very high standard, and right now I haven't met that standard. There's a lot of hard work that needs to be done, and that's all I can focus on is making this stuff right."

Smith is saying all of the right things, as a veteran in his position should do. Still, the Raiders need Smith to figure things out and do so in a hurry. Las Vegas is running out of time to save the season.