While the Las Vegas Raiders weren’t considered Super Bowl contenders entering the year, they’ve been one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL at 2-5.
The way the Raiders have lost games is a bit embarrassing, losing by 34 points against the Indianapolis Colts and 31 points against the Kansas City Chiefs.
A lot of that has to do with the Raiders’ inability to stay on the field offensively, with quarterback Geno Smith not doing enough to win games.
In the Raiders’ Week 7 loss against the Chiefs, Smith threw for just 67 yards on 16 attempts.
It’d be easy for some in the Raiders’ lock room to get frustrated about where things stand in Las Vegas. For Brock Bowers, who has been dealing with an injury, it doesn’t sound like that’s the case, however.
According to Austin Boyd of Heavy Sports, Bowers believes that Smith is a great person, a good locker room leader, and that so far, he’s just had some unlucky breaks.
"He's a great guy. He's a great guy. He's a great locker room guy, too," Bowers told Boyd. "Really brings everyone together. And he's a great quarterback and everything. I mean, had some unlucky breaks, obviously, early in the year. But I mean, that's straightened out. We're getting back on track."
It’s tough to say whether Smith’s start has been unlucky or if this is just who he is as a quarterback.
He already has 10 interceptions on the season, which leads the NFL, but he’s also been turnover-prone throughout his career.
Smith started his rookie campaign in 2013 with 21 interceptions and just 12 touchdowns for the New York Jets. Beyond that, he threw for 15 interceptions a year ago with the Seattle Seahawks.
The Raiders’ game plan has to be simple moving forward, hoping to get players like Bowers back on the field, which is expected. Once that happens, perhaps Smith will look better with a star like Bowers ready to catch every pass.
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