Raiders’ Geno Smith Gets Notable Reaction After Win Over Patriots
The Las Vegas Raiders have a reliable QB1 in Geno Smith as the veteran signal-caller led the Silver and Black to a road win in Week 1 over the New England Patriots.
Smith completed 24 of 34 passes for 362 passing yards and one touchdown. The veteran quarterback’s lone touchdown was a 26-yard strike to Tre Tucker in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, he connected with tight end Brock Bowers five times for 103 yards. Late in the fourth quarter, Smith also threw a 36-yard pass to rookie Dont’e Thornton, helping the Raiders secure the win.
With Smith hitting the ground running as the Raiders’ quarterback, CBS Sports analyst Danny Kanell had major praise for him and believes this success can be sustainable for the entire season.
“I love Geno’s story,” Kanell said on “CBS Sports HQ.“ “He’s taking the long road. What he did in Seattle was phenomenal. And then to show them, he was a playmaker. I mean, the touchdown pass was a beautiful anticipation ball to Tre Tucker, the one where he blooped it over, and it was a great touch pass.
“Then how about him making plays where he’s outside the pocket, the fourth down conversion, where he’s rolling to his left and then knows where to go with the football, throws it all the way back across the field to his right, which is not the most advised pass. It’s ill-advised to try to make a couple of those. He’s a playmaker. He’s got some game left in him, where I think it could make the Raiders an interesting story this season.”
Jakobi Meyers Gives Raiders QB Geno Smith Love
One of the receivers who benefited from Smith’s performance against the Patriots was Jakobi Meyers. The veteran receiver recorded eight receptions for 97 receiving yards for an impressive afternoon in New England. After the win, Meyers also had high praise for the Raiders’ new quarterback.
“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.”
Geno Smith Isn’t Getting Too High on His Performance
Following the win over the Patriots, Smith told CBS Sports he’s pleased to start his time in Las Vegas on a strong note. While many are praising the former Seattle Seahawks quarterback, he’s staying grounded and taking each game one at a time.
“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 now shifts focus to Week 2, where it will take on the Los Angeles Chargers in an AFC West matchup. Both teams come into the game riding a win, with the Chargers having beaten the Kansas City Chiefs in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Eagles Make Shocking Deal For ‘Underrated, Underused’ AFC South RB
For much of the offseason we’ve wondered what Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was going to do with a war chest of draft picks accumulated over the last few years.
The answer has been — pretty much anything he wants.
Roseman’s wheeling and dealing stayed at an electric pace following Philadelphia’s Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys, with the Eagles sending a 2025 fifth round pick and 2025 sixth round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for third year running back Tank Bigsby.
“Trade: Jaguars are sending RB Tank Bigsby to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for 2026 fifth- and sixth-round picks, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on September 8.
Bigsby creates a crowded running backs room in Philadelphia with reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley, A.J. Dillon and Will Shipley already on the roster.
Bigsby was a grossly underrated and underused weapon last season in Jacksonville with 820 yards of total offense and 7 touchdowns in 16 games with just 1 start while playing behind Travis Etienne.
‘Underrated’ RB Shined During SEC Days
Bigsby, 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, was the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2020 with 918 yards of total offense and 5 touchdowns for Auburn. He earned All-SEC honors each of the next 2 seasons as he racked up over 1,100 yards of offense each year and 10 touchdowns in both 2021 and 2022.
Bigsby finished his college career with an impressive 3,354 yards of total offense and 25 touchdowns in 3 seasons before leaving school early for the NFL. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds at the NFL scouting combine and the Jaguars selected him in the third round (No. 88 overall) in the 2023 NFL draft.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein actually predicted Bigsby might shine in a “Dynamic Duo” sort of backfield in the NFL in his pre-draft evaluation.
“Fumbling has been a concern in the past, and he might not be much help on third downs or special teams,” Zierlein wrote in 2023. “His size, creativity and quickness could create an opportunity for teams to pair Bigsby with another back to form an effective tandem in a zone-scheme rushing attack.”
Eagles Backfield Could Be Moveable Object
Shipley was effective in a backup role to Barkley against the Cowboys with 3 carries for 26 yards but was forced to leave the game with a rib injury — he might not be right physically to play in Week 2 against the Chiefs.
Dillon, a free agent signee, wasn’t effective awhen he had the ball with 3 carries for 10 yards — he just might not be the right fight.
Enter Bigsby, who could thrive in his first chance playing for a competent NFL franchise. The Jaguars were 13-21 over his first 2 seasons, including a 4-13 record in 2024.
“The eagles running back room has to be the best in the league right?” X user Malibu wrote on his official account following the trade.
“To those who don’t know… Tank Bigsby is legit,” X user Rob Hodge wrote. “Only 24 years old… Rushed for 766 yards and 7 TD’s last season. Perfect RB2…”
“Tank Bigsby is a legit good running back” SB Nation’s Will Rucker wrote on his official account. “Howie is always going to strike when he feels he can get value. This is your RB2a
