Former Philadelphia Eagles backup quarterback Kenny Pickett is likely to start against the Birds when the Las Vegas Raiders visit Lincoln Financial Field in Week 15.
Pickett is the Raiders’ backup quarterback but starter Geno Smith is unlikely to play due to a shoulder injury suffered in Week 14, according to a report from NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
Is this definitely a downgrade for the Raiders? Smith has been pretty terrible; he’s thrown 16 touchdown passes to 14 interceptions for a 84.5 passer rating. Pickett completed eight of his 11 attempts for 97 yards, one touchdown, zero interceptions, and a 129.7 passer rating in relief of Smith against the Denver Broncos.
Of course, that’s a very small sample size. And Pickett’s success took place late in the fourth quarter with the Broncos already up by 17 points. Probably safe to say Denver wasn’t going all out to stop the Raiders at that point as much as they were playing prevent defense.
The much larger sample of Pickett’s entire career suggests he shouldn’t be much of a threat to an Eagles defense that’s coming off another strong game. Whereas Smith has thrown 16 touchdowns to 14 interceptions in 13 starts this season, Pickett has thrown 16 touchdowns to 14 in 25 starts over his entire career. The New Jersey native’s career passer rating is 79.9.
In fairness to Pickett, his last start was a good one with a strong showing for Philly against the Dallas Cowboys last year. But his support system with the Raiders is certainly much less optimal than what he was working with as a member of the 2024 Eagles.
For as much as there’s legitimate reason to be skeptical about the Eagles’ outlook right now, I’m selling the idea of Pickett coming to Philly for a “revenge game” win over his former team. He’s not good. Vic Fangio is.
Now, it’s entirely possible the Eagles’ offense doesn’t play well yet again. But the Raiders’ offense is probably even worse.
There’s a reason the Eagles are 11.5-point home favorites despite losing their last three games. The Raiders stink, regardless of whether it’s Smith or Pickett under center.
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