Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders
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(Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
The Las Vegas Raiders are off to a 1-0 start after their Week 1 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. Moreover, Jakobi Meyers returned to face his former team and put up numbers to get off on the right foot.
Meyers recorded eight receptions for 97 receiving yards to have an impressive performance. Meanwhile, Geno Smith completed 24of 34 passes for 362 passing yards and one touchdown.
After the win and his impressive performance against the Patriots, Meyers made sure to put a spotlight on Smith’s performance.
“He’s just a dog, man,”Meyers told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. “He just wanted to win by any means, and that’s a guy you could get behind. Big salute to Geno. He played hard today. I appreciate him so much.”
Raiders Coaches Also Get Love From Jakobi Meyers
Meyers isn’t only giving Smith love; the Raiders’ wide receiver also shared what it’s like to give Pete Carroll his first win as head coach of Las Vegas. Moreover, at 73 years and 357 days, Carroll became the oldest coach in NFL history to record a victory.
“It’s just all the hard work that we put in this offseason,” Meyers added. “Shout out to Pete. Shout out to all the coaches, Baby, all of them. Chip [Kelly], man. Thank you for getting us ready.”
After a challenging 2024 season, the Silver and Black are keen on having a bounce-back campaign with Carroll leading the way.
Geno Smith Hit the Ground Running
The veteran quarterback’s only touchdown came on a 26-yard pass to Tre Tucker in the first quarter. Moreover, Smith targeted tight end Brock Bowers five times for 103 yards, but Bowers left the game in the second half with a knee injury.
Late in the fourth quarter, Smith also threw a 36-yard pass to rookie Dont’e Thornton, helping the Raiders secure the win. If there were any questions surrounding Smith, he answered them. After the victory,Smith spoke to CBS Sports to share his thoughts on beginning his tenure in Las Vegas on the right foot.
“Just one win,” Smith said. “We’ve got a long ways to go. Happy we got to win, but we got to work tomorrow. I’m ready for work… I think we just stuck with the game plan. I thought we did execute it better in the second half. It’s a four-quarter game. They’re a good team as well. I mean, it’s the NFL. They’re going to win some as well. But we stuck with it, no one panicked, and we kept going, and we figured it out.”
Las Vegas must now turn the page to Week 2 as it faces the Los Angeles Chargers in an AFC West showdown. Furthermore, both these teams are entering the Week 2 clash off a win. The Chargers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
As a result, whoever wins this match on Monday Night Football at Allegiant Stadium will begin the 2025 season 2-0, which is the ideal start that any team wants.