The Las Vegas Raiders are finally going to see what a different starting quarterback looks like this week.
Geno Smith has been starting all season and has struggled. For Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles, it'll be Kenny Pickett out there.
Pickett was an Eagles QB just last season. But in the offseason, Philadelphia traded him to the Cleveland Browns. And before the season even really got rolling, the Browns traded him to the Raiders.
Now, he gets to start against his former team in a game in which the Raiders are heavy underdogs.
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Why is Kenny Pickett playing QB for Raiders, not Geno Smith?
Pickett is playing for the Raiders because Smith is injured.
Smith is listed as having both a right shoulder injury and a back injury. He did not participate in practice the entire week after exiting last week's game early.
That leaves Pickett, with Aidan O'Connell behind him.
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A week ago, Pickett was 8-for-11 for 97 yards and a touchdown after coming on in relief of Smith. He had completed just 2-of-3 passes the entire season before that.
This will be Pickett's chance to potentially prolong his NFL career by proving he can step in as a backup and get the job done.
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