Former Philadelphia Eagles backup quarterback Kenny Pickett will likely start against the Jays when the Las Vegas Raiders visit Lincoln Financial Field in Week 15.
Pickett is the Raiders’ backup quarterback, but starter Geno Smith is unlikely to play due to a shoulder injury suffered in Week 14, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported.
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Is this definitely a downgrade for the Raiders? Smith’s performance was pretty bad. He threw for 16 touchdowns, was intercepted 14 times and had a passer rating of 84.5. Pickett completed 8 of 11 passes for 97 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions, and a passer rating of 129.7 before taking over for Smith against the Denver Broncos.
Of course, this is a very small sample size. Pickett’s success came late in the fourth quarter, when the Broncos already led by 17 points. It’s safe to say that Denver wasn’t trying to stop the Raiders at that point, but was playing preventative defense.
A larger sample size of Pickett’s entire career suggests he shouldn’t be much of a threat to an Eagles defense coming off another strong game. And Smith threw 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 13 starts this seasonPickett has thrown for 16 touchdowns, including 14 in 25 starts throughout his career. The New Jersey native has a career passer rating of 79.9.
To be fair, Pickett looked good in his last start, a performance against the Dallas Cowboys in Philadelphia last year. But his support system with the Raiders is certainly not nearly as ideal as the one he has with the Eagles in 2024.
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While there are legitimate reasons to be skeptical of the Eagles’ prospects right now, I’d recommend Pickett come to Philadelphia and get “revenge” against his former team. He is not good. Vic Fangio is.
Now, the Eagles offense will likely struggle again. But the Raiders’ offense may be even worse.
Despite losing their past three games, the Hawks are still an 11.5-point home favorite, and for good reason. The Raiders were terrible regardless of whether it was Smith or Pickett under center.
