Geno Smith’s 362 passing yards helped guide the Las Vegas Raiders to a 20-13 win over the New England Patriots in the season opener, delivering a fantastic performance in his team debut. As a result, Smith is getting some love in the NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 2.
Bleacher Report
18. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 22
The Las Vegas Raiders might not have the pieces needed to actually win the AFC West, but they are looking like a team that can keep pace by winning the games they’re supposed to win.
While the Raiders didn’t exactly blow out the Patriots, who were one of the NFL’s worst teams in 2024, they had to feel good leaving New England. Cross-country trips are never easy, and Pete Carroll had his squad prepared.
Geno Smith had a few hiccups but little trouble pushing the ball downfield, even after Brock Bowers exited. Other pass-catchers stepped up, while rookie running back Ashton Jeanty handled a high volume of plays, even if he rarely found open lanes.
Las Vegas will get a chance to see just how well it stacks up to its division rivals next Monday night against the Los Angeles Chargers. —Kevin Knox
For some added context, Smith was 4/6 for 120 yards and a touchdown on pass attempts 20 or more yards down the field, per Pro Football Focus. So, he certainly had “little trouble pushing the ball downfield”, especially considering the weather didn’t exactly provide ideal conditions.
NFL.com
23. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 25
Not a bad Raiders debut for Geno Smith, eh? Even with the early pick against the Patriots, he regained command, withstood several hits and four sacks and did what he needed to do — with Brock Bowers on the sideline at game’s end. Ashton Jeanty didn’t have a lot of room to run, but he was pretty forceful in a few key short-yardage situations. Defensively, the Raiders were pretty outstanding, patching a few leaky holes early. It wasn’t the cleanest game of all time, and the pass protection issues need to be ironed out, but the energy and toughness were notable upgrades in Pete Carroll’s debut. I have at least one eye on this team. — Eric Edholm
Edholm’s analysis of the offensive line adds to how impressive the quarterback’s performance was. PFF had him getting pressured on 37.5 percent of his dropbacks despite recording the third-fastest time to throw (2.91 seconds). That being said, Las Vegas’ pass protection issues need to be cleaned up, as that’s not a sustainable formula for winning against better-quality opponents.
Sports Illustrated
21. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 20
This Raiders offense is going to be so much fun to watch. Geno Smith was throwing ahead of the sticks on nearly every dropback on Sunday and Chip Kelly still managed to get Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers a heavy dose of time with the rock. It’s not going to be perfect, but teams are going to despise playing this Raiders team. — Conor Orr
It’s been touched on a few times, in addition to Geno’s performance, it was also nice to see the Raiders’ offense distribute the wealth. They had three players tote the rock and eight receivers get targets, where nearly every skill position player who was dressed got an opportunity to touch the ball. Being that versatile will make the offense hard to stop.
The Athletic
20. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 18
First impression: Chip Kelly’s offense is fun
Geno Smith was slinging it. The Raiders hit nine passes of 20 yards or more en route to Smith’s 362 passing yards against a beleaguered New England secondary. Just wait until Ashton Jeanty and the running game inevitably get rolling. This was a nice restart for Kelly and head coach Pete Carroll. — Chad Graff and Josh Kendall
The Athletic’s analysis is complementary of Las Vegas’ performance, but the rankings don’t make sense. How do the Raiders fall two spots if their first impression was positive? They have the Seattle Seahawks (18) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (19) in the two spots ahead of the Silver and Black, but with less-than-stellar reviews from the season opener. To be fair, The Athletic was higher on the Raiders than most outlets heading into the season.
ESPN
21. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 25
Best newcomer performance: LB Devin White
White came to Las Vegas on a mission to prove he can still play at a high level. His Raider debut was an encouraging performance, as he had a team-high 11 tackles and a pressure. The former Buc was effective in the run game, collecting eight run tackles and a pair of run stuffs. Normally, White is the Raiders’ weakside linebacker. But when Elandon Roberts sprained his elbow, he played snaps at middle linebacker as well. — Ryan McFadden
A change of pace here as McFadden went with White over Smith for the team’s “best newcomer performance”. I think it’s hard to argue that the quarterback wasn’t the better player of the two, but the linebacker also had an outstanding day to help guide the team to victory. Also, as McFadden mentioned, White did step up when the defense lost Roberts on the second drive of the game.
