Geno Smith Pins the Blame on Himself for Raiders’ Offense’s No-Show Against Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys (4-5-1) defeated the Las Vegas Raiders (2-8) on primetime Monday night and handed them their fourth consecutive loss. The Raiders retain their position as the sixth-worst team in the league behind the New Orleans Saints and the New York Jets.

The Raiders had just 236 total yards on offense against the Cowboys. Geno Smith, the Raiders’ QB, was once again limited in action with 27 completions on 42 attempts for 238 yards. He threw just one touchdown and an interception each. The Raiders focused mostly on the passing game, which ultimately hurt their running game and led to an offensive imbalance.

Nevertheless, in the aftermath of the Raiders’ 33-16 loss against the Dallas Cowboys, Smith admitted that the blame for the offensive no-show falls on him. He said that the play-calling by Chip Kelly had no issues, and the wide receivers have made no mistakes either.

However, the way Smith articulated the whole thing was a bit weird. He suggested that he’s got to play better in the coming weeks, and then things shaped into a rant. Smith claimed that the blame should always be on him, even when a kid messes up at school or someone’s car breaks down:

I’ve just got to play better. I keep saying this. If something don’t look right out there, blame it on me. If it don’t look right, blame it on me. That’s all you can do, blame it on me. If your kids mess up at school, blame it on me. Car break down on the way to work? Blame it on me.

The monologue felt like Smith was hinting that the reporters often paint him as the wrongdoer. True or not, Smith has been silent this season, ranking eighteenth in passing yards and 21st in touchdowns. He has also thrown the second-most interceptions (12) this season, behind Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins.

The Week 12 fixture against the Cleveland Browns becomes crucial for the Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders host the Cleveland Browns next Sunday at Allegiant Stadium. The Browns are in an even worse condition than the Raiders. The Browns (2-8) are third amongst the weak teams in the league, just behind the 1-9 Tennessee Titans and the 2-9 New York Giants.

The Browns are also a franchise that has faced severe quarterback inconsistency in the past few years and struggled with the same this year. The Browns are expected to start Shedeur Sanders as their 42nd starter since returning to the NFL in 1999. Sanders didn’t have the best debut last Sunday. Coming in as the backup for the injured Dillon Gabriel, Sanders was able to complete just four of his passes and failed to record a touchdown while he ended up throwing an interception.

Though the primary reason behind his disappointing start may be his lack of first-team reps, he can’t be expected to rectify all those shortcomings in just a week. This may work well for the Raiders searching for a win to end their losing streak.

Furthermore, from the Raiders’ standpoint, they have a lot to prove. The coaching staff, mainly Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly, was expected to turn around things for the Raiders. It hasn’t happened, and both of them are on the hot seat because of that.

While it does make sense for teams to tank once the season is lost, they face a chance where they can end up losing fans. The Raiders haven’t been successful in the recent times and yet another season with barely countable wins would lead to decline in current base and the new fans would prefer different teams.

Also Read: ‘Possessive’ Kylie Kelce Gives Friendly Warning to Fans Over Comments on Jason Kelce’s Photos

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