The Special Way Geno Smith is Leading the Raiders

Bucky Brooks is an NFL analyst who writes for FOX Sports, and he wrote an article talking about the resurgence of veteran quarterbacks in the NFL. For Smith and the Raiders, he predicts they can be a playoff team as soon as this season.

"The former Pro Bowler has reconnected with Pete Carroll in the desert to jump-start the Raiders’ rebuilding project. As a pure pocket passer with outstanding touch, anticipation and timing, Smith enables Chip offensive coordinator Kelly to utilize a multi-faceted aerial attack to tax opponents with a barrage of throws to Brock Bowers, Jakobi Myers and others on the perimeter", said Brooks.

Smith was on point in the Raiders' season opener, and he took full advantage of a wounded New England Patriots secondary. He threw it to seven different receivers, including Jakobi Meyers and Dont'e Thornton Jr., who had phenomenal games themselves.

Brock Bowers is questionable for Monday night's game against the Chargers, so on top of them playing against better competition, Smith may be without his best pass catcher on offense. But if he wants to continue to set the tone, he'll have to find ways to get around that

"With a mix of traditional drop-back passes and clever play-action plays on the menu, the Raiders have designed a passing game with enough versatility to evolve over a 17-game season. The Silver and Black could emerge as a playoff contender behind Smith’s effort as an efficient game manager and playmaker".

The Raiders' offense hasn't even reached its full potential yet. Once they can get Ashton Jeanty going and having a productive run game, that'll just open up the field even more for Smith. This can lead to creative play calls that catch teams off guard, as well as even better performances from Smith.

"As a dart thrower from the pocket with limitless range and pinpoint accuracy, the veteran not only provides Carroll and Kelly with a polished passer but also an experienced leader with a track record for helping underdogs find their way into the postseason tournament".

His resume speaks for itself; he's always been an underdog after being drafted high and not living up to expectations for the New York Jets. The NFL may have written him and the Raiders off, but not only is he planning on not writing back, he's looking to show his doubters how wrong they truly were.

Their Ceiling

The vibes are high in Sin City, but as stellar as Smith played, it wasn't without its faults. During their first drive of the season, their offense looked virtually unstoppable, and their strengths were showing at full power.

However, after that first drive, their offense never looked the same, and Smith's decision-making was at times questionable. His lone interception was due to his throwing the ball into triple coverage, and while he's capable of threading the needle and zipping that ball in there, the Raiders are going to have a low ceiling if he wants to play hero ball

There will be times during the season when the Raiders will need Smith to put on a superhero cape and do everything he can for their offense, but that isn't a sustainable way to win, nor would it be enough for them to be contenders.

I believe he did an excellent job at leading the Raiders' offense and getting all facets of it involved, because that builds up early-season chemistry as well as much-needed reps. More so than wins or losses, the most encouraging thing the Raiders can do is start to gel together as a unit.

If they do that and are a cohesive offense that can win the game through the air or on the ground, their ceiling is a playoff berth and potentially a win. However, that all depends on the chemistry Smith has with the rest of the Raiders team.