Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett has made his debut for his fourth NFL team, appearing for the Las Vegas Raiders for the first time all season. Like Justin Fields in New York, Raiders start Geno Smith was pulled in a blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Pickett, the top backup all season, subbed in.
He entered the game trailing 31-0 mid-way through the fourth quarter.
Pickett proceeded to fumble the football on his first snap. A botched under-center exchange the Chiefs fell on for the turnover. One that seemed to hit Pickett squarely in the hands that he simply dropped.
Pickett finished the day 2-of-2 for 8 yards and the fumble. The Raiders finished with three first downs, the first team since the Raiders in 2008 to achieve such a lowly feat.
Pickett makes his debut after questions and calls for Smith to be benched have hovered for weeks. Smith has struggled with taking care of the ball and been prone to a string of mistakes. Entering Sunday, he led the NFL with 10 interceptions that included a pair of three-interception performances. He had thrown at least one pick in all but one game this season as the Raiders are set to 2-5 and remain in last place of the AFC West.
Smith finished the game 6 of 10 for 67 yards and no touchdowns, no interceptions, and one sack.
Las Vegas hardly possessed the football in this game. Partly due to the Chiefs’ offensive dominance and partly due to the Raiders’ immense offensive woes, the team held the ball for 15:10 as Pickett entered.
The close relationship between head coach Pete Carroll and Geno Smith brought Smith to Las Vegas. Paired up in Seattle, the Raiders traded for Smith in March in exchange for a third round pick. Pickett himself was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Raiders ahead of Week 1, filling in as the No. 2 after backup Aidan O’Connell fractured his wrist.
It marked the third time Pickett had been dealt in his career. Drafted in 2022, Pittsburgh sent him to Philadelphia ahead of the 2024 season. The Eagles proceeded to send him to the Browns in the 2025 offseason before Cleveland flipped him this summer. Pickett lost out to veteran Joe Flacco and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders this summer.
Now, the question will be if Smith remains the Raiders’ starter going forward. Las Vegas takes on the Jacksonville Jaguars following a Week 8 bye.
