The O-line stiffening up helped, too, as did Isaiah Pola-Mao’s momentum-turning third-quarter interception, helped in part by Maxx Crosby hitting Drake Maye as he threw the ball.
Football is a complementary game of momentum, and it definitely swung back to Smith after Pola-Mao’s pick. The challenge, then, was for Smith to take it and run with it.
He did, and then some. Smith’s 362 passing yards overtook Dan Pastorini’s 1980 record of 317 yards. And Smith, who never saw a tight window he didn’t want to hit, completed 70.6% of his passes, 24-of-34, while getting sacked four times and finishing with a 102.8 passer rating.
“We’ve seen it all camp,” tight end Brock Bowers, who had five catches for 103 yards and was one of eight pass catchers targeted by Smith, said of his quarterback’s accuracy in tight windows. “No one on the team is shocked, really. It’s good that we can come out here and showcase what he can do.
“We stalled, obviously, I don’t know what caused that, but we know what we’re capable of. We just all had to lock back in and really get back rolling.”
Since longtime starter Derek Carr was benched with two games to play in the 2022 season, the Raiders have started seven different quarterbacks – Jarrett Stidham, Jimmy Garoppolo, Aidan O’Connell, Brian Hoyer, Minshew, Desmond Ridder and now Smith.
Raiders left tackle Kolton Miller has blocked for them all and was impressed with Smith in New England, particularly with his third-down conversion to Thornton.
“He’s an ultimate competitor,” Miller said of Smith. “He’s calm and focused back there. Of course we can do a better job of cleaning up [protections], but when you’re backed up like that, and then he can step up and make a throw like that, that’s just confidence.”
And, according to Smith, he is, well, him.
“I know who I am, I know what I can do,” he said. “Mistakes happen. Things happen within the game. There was a tipped pass. I made the right read. Could have made a better throw. But those guys made a play on it, and the ball tipped up, guy made a play. … I’m going to keep going. I’m me.
“I just know who I am. I know what I can do on that field, so I never worry.”
Nor did his teammates, not even his youngest ones, have to worry Sunday.
“I mean, that’s just Geno, bro,” said rookie running back Ashton Jeanty. “He’s not going to hang his head over one play. He’s a leader. He’s leading this team and, obviously, he balled out, and one play doesn’t define the game, or you as a person.”
Blink, and you’ll miss it.
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