Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Veteran quarterback Geno Smith vowed "to be better" after he threw three interceptions, leading to a 20-9 Las Vegas Raiders loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
"You can never just say you can flush it," Smith told reporters Monday in Las Vegas. "You've got to learn from it. I'm going to be extremely hard on myself because that's all I know. I'm going to get better this week. I'm going to find ways to get better from this film.
"We'll be better as a team as well."
Smith, who completed 70.6% of his throws for 362 yards, one score and an interception in the Raiders' Week 1 win over the New England Patriots, completed just 24 of 43 passes for 180 yards and no scores against the Chargers.
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He also went 0 for 12 on throws of 10 yards or deeper -- including all three of his interceptions.
"I'm never going to make any excuses about anything," Smith said. "I've got to be better. We've got to be better, and we've got a short week to improve on that."
Smith's night turned into a nightmare from the start, with the veteran passer throwing an interception on the first play of the game. Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley secured the turnover after safety Alohi Gilman deflected the overthrown pass while attempting to intercept it.
The Chargers proceeded to score points on three of their first five drives for a 17-6 advantage. Safety Tony Jefferson went on to intercept Smith again on the Raiders' final drive of the half to seal the Chargers' 11-point lead at the break. That turnover occurred when Smith attempted to find wide receiver Dont'e Thornton with a 50-yard heave down the right flank, but instead found the Chargers safety.
Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker made a 20-yard field goal midway through the third quarter for a 20-6 edge. The Raiders cut into the deficit with a 37-yard kick from Daniel Carlson with 11:15 remaining. Smith threw his third interception about five minutes later.
Smith took the snap from the Chargers' 20-yard line on that play. He threw a pass toward Jakobi Meyers in the end zone, but Chargers safety Derwin James jumped in and denied the wide receiver of catching the throw. The deflected pass then landed in the hands of Chargers cornerback Donte Jackson.
Smith's passer rating of 37 was the second-lowest of his career for a game in which he threw at least 25 passes. The performance marked the fifth three-interception game of his career.
"I'm not supporting some of the choices there," Raiders coach Pete Carroll said, when asked about Smith's interceptions. "I need to see what happened, though. I want to see if he had other options."
The Chargers out-gained the Raiders 317-218 in total yards, including 237-150 through the air. Carroll said he was concerned about why the Raiders didn't complete more underneath passes.
"I felt like we were impatient with the throwing game and that's why the ball went down the field so far," Carroll said. "I don't think we needed to do that. ... It's disappointing."
The Raiders converted 9 of their 18 third-down opportunities. They were 0 for 2 on fourth down and 0 for 3 in the red zone. Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty totaled 43 yards on 11 carries in the loss.
Head Coach Pete Carroll and QB Geno Smith address the media following the Raiders' Week 2 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. [https://t.co/HKeubU89Vw](https://t.co/HKeubU89Vw)— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) [September 16, 2025](https://twitter.com/Raiders/status/1967819071875080197?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert completed 19 of 27 passes for 242 yards and two scores in the victory. He found wide receivers Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston for touchdowns. Johnston secured three catches for 71 yards. Allen caught five passes for 61 yards.
Henley totaled 10 combined tackles and a sack, in addition to his interception. Defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell and linebacker Khalil Mack, who left the game with an elbow injury, also logged sacks for the Chargers.
Defensive tackle Jonah Laulu logged two sacks for the Raiders.
The Raiders (1-1) will take on the Washington Commanders (1-1) on Sunday in Landover, Md. The Chargers (2-0) will host the Denver Broncos (1-1) on Sunday in Inglewood, Calif.