Pete Carroll gives emphatic answer about quarterback room

The Las Vegas Raiders dropped their third straight game in heartbreaking fashion on Sunday, losing to the Chicago Bears 25-24 with a last-minute field goal block.

While there were plenty of positives to take away from the game for the Raiders, Geno Smith stood out for all the wrong reasons. The veteran quarterback threw for only 117 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. The turnovers caused many of the Raiders’ drives to stall out without any points, ultimately giving the Bears the opportunity to steal the game.

After two games with multiple turnovers, many are starting to question if Smith is the quarterback who can turn the Raiders’ fortunes around.

The Raiders have made their current plans clear after the close loss.

With fans wondering if the Raiders could turn to Kenny Pickett if Smith’s struggles continue, head coach Pete Carroll gave a quick but powerful answer about the situation during his postgame presser.

“No. Nope. We’re not there,” Carroll said about the situation, per Sports Illustrated’s Ezekiel Trezevant.

Despite Carroll’s vote of confidence in Smith, the head coach did mention that the turnovers played a role in the outcome of the game.

“Those are huge plays in the first half, third down opportunities, third down conversions, and everything on both plays was the same thing, and then when we fell for it and screwed it up,” Carroll said.

“You can’t expect to turn the ball over like that and win. It doesn’t happen, but we overcame it because the defense was so spectacular in the first half making those stops. They were great, and it gave us a chance. The score could have been ridiculous after the first quarter, but it wasn’t, and so we learn.”

With the investment the Raiders made in Smith back in March, it is unsurprising that Carroll is giving the veteran a long leash. However, nothing shortens that leash more than turnovers and careless play, and both have plagued Smith early on this season.

The Raiders have no problem continuing to roll with Smith for the time being, but the fact questions are already rolling by in about his replacement before the end of September is greatly concerning.