After weeks of waiting, Raider Nation will finally get to see what things are like without Geno Smith.
On Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders head off to the East Coast to face the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
After not practicing this week, Geno Smith is officially out for this game, opening the door for Kenny Pickett to get his first start of the season. Pickett earned a Super Bowl ring last year with the Eagles as the backup to Jalen Hurts, and he performed well in relief of Smith last week against the Denver Broncos. This is a tremendous opportunity for the former first-round pick and Heisman Trophy winner to re-establish himself as a capable starting quarterback in the NFL.
Here is how he and the Raiders can pull off the biggest upset of the season.
Seize the moment
Pickett is undoubtedly the X-factor heading into this game, as well as the one thing that could give the Raiders some hope.
Smith has done little to inspire confidence in what is shaping up to be his only season in Las Vegas, and his injury now leaves the door open for Pickett to walk through it. What the Raiders intend to do at quarterback in 2026 is still up in the air, but a strong performance could put Pickett into the conversation. Whether the Raiders pull off the upset or not, a strong game under center could force Pete Carroll’s hand and convince him to ride Pickett for the rest of the season.
Push to the Maxx
On the other side, the Eagles will be without offensive tackle Lane Johnson.
This has to be music to the ears of Maxx Crosby, who has enjoyed another stellar season despite being the center of attention on defense. With nine sacks and an already career-high 25 tackles for loss on the season, Crosby has the chance to boost those totals against a banged-up Eagles offensive line. As they showed last week against the Chargers, Hurts and the Eagles are prone to mistakes when the pressure gets to them, so a big game from Crosby could make things uncomfortably close.
Keep things clean
The last few games have been marred by failures in pass protection for the Raiders, and Smith’s injury only highlighted that.
Pickett is the more mobile of the two quarterbacks, but the Raiders need to do a better job at keeping opposing defensive linemen out of the backfield and prevent them from destroying their rhythm when they have the ball. Third-round rookie Caleb Rogers has done a good job so far, but he will face a stern test with a deep Eagles defensive front. Pickett, Ashton Jeanty and the rest of the Raiders’ top playmakers will be more than elated if the offensive line can hold up.
