What Happened to Geno Smith? Breaking Down Why Kenny Pickett Is in for Raiders in Week 7 vs. Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders starting quarterback Geno Smith simply had an awful game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, which led to Raiders head coach Pete Carroll making a change at the position.

Smith was clearly ineffective for the Raiders, and it showed in his statistics.

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What Happened to Raiders QB Geno Smith?

Well, what happened to Smith was that his efforts at leading the Raiders’ offense simply were not good enough.

Against the Chiefs in a 31-0 shutout victory for Kansas City, Smith was 10-of-16 passing for 67 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. That’s not a winning formula for an NFL starting quarterback at all.

After seeing Smith continue to struggle, Carroll benched Smith in favor of Kenny Pickett. However, he may still keep his starting job despite the awful performance at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Who else is calling for Geno Smith to be benched 🖐️ pic.twitter.com/wdCQ15YxI7

— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) October 19, 2025

The Chiefs were so far ahead that head coach Andy Reid took his starting quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, out of the game. His reasons were understandable, as the Chiefs were well ahead of the Raiders at that point.

It will be worth watching whether Carroll makes the bold decision to give Pickett a start next week.