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GENO SMITH OFFICIALLY OUT! SEE THE RAIDERS' SHOCK WEEK 18 STARTER NOW

The Geno Smith era in Vegas hits a breaking point. With Smith ruled out for Week 18, the Raiders turn to Pickett and O’Connell.

Geno Smith officially out! See the Raiders' shock Week 18 starter now
Insiders believe Week 17 was Geno Smith's final snap.

The clock’s ticking on the Raiders’ 2025 season, and honestly, this offseason could get weird.

Geno Smith, though? He’s probably dreading it. The guy’s had a brutal year—nobody’s thrown more picks or taken more sacks than him. Just rough.

Then came Week 17 against the Giants. Smith went down early with an ankle sprain, and that pretty much summed up his season. Everyone wondered if he’d suit up for the last game against the Chiefs. Now we know—he’s out. The Raiders made it official on Friday. No shock there; Pete Carroll had already hinted this was coming. Still, Carroll kept it close to the vest about who’s starting instead—Kenny Pickett or Aidan O’Connell.

Pickett started earlier in the year when Smith was hurt, but that game was ugly. O’Connell? He hasn’t even touched the field this season. Seems fair to finally give him a shot. Carroll says both guys should see the field against Kansas City.

So, is this it for Smith in Vegas? Feels like it. Vincent Bonsignore from the Review-Journal basically said if Smith misses this last game, he’s done as a Raider. Remember, Smith came over from Seattle, looking to keep his starting gig alive after his run with Carroll from 2020 to 2023.

Cutting Smith costs the Raiders $18.5 million in dead money, so there’s a slim chance they just keep him around another year. But let’s be real—fans turned on him after he flipped them off postgame, and his play hasn’t helped. At this point, it’s probably best for everyone to move on.

And what about the Raiders’ quarterback room? They really believed in Smith, which is why they waited until the sixth round to draft Cam Miller. The twist: Miller spent the season on the practice squad, but right before the last game, Miami swooped in and grabbed him. He’d probably have stuck around through the offseason, but that’s out the window now. The team’s not thrilled about it.

“Yeah, it’s disappointing to lose him because we put a lot of time in, and he’s put a lot of time in here as well,” quarterbacks coach Greg Olson said Thursday. “I talked to him before he got on the plane. He’s a hard worker, we valued him, and it stings to lose a guy like that late in the season. But good luck to him. We’re happy for him.”

REVIEW: WHY MATT LAFLEUR IS COUNTING ON VETERANS TO SAVE THE SEASON

Matt LaFleur rested starters in a 16-3 loss to the Vikings. We analyse the Packers' slump and life without Micah Parsons.

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Matt LaFleur Defends Decision to Rest Starters

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur stood on the sideline, watching as his team slogged through a rough second quarter against the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. It was January 4, 2026, and honestly, this game didn’t mean much for Green Bay. They’d already locked up their playoff spot, so LaFleur kept Jordan Love and several other starters on the bench. Instead, Clayton Tune got the nod at quarterback—a guy who’d been hanging out on the practice squad most of the year and only took a few snaps in Week 17.

Tune threw just 11 passes all game, completing six for 34 yards. Not exactly electric. The Vikings sacked him four times, so the Packers actually finished with negative passing yards. Yeah, minus 7. That pretty much sums up the afternoon.

The final score was 16-3, and the only reason Green Bay even got on the board was a late field goal they set up with a timeout. The run game looked a little better—they managed 128 yards on 35 carries, and that was without Josh Jacobs, who sat out too. Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs didn’t play either, whether because of injuries or just getting some rest. So, the Packers were missing a lot of firepower.

Here’s the bigger problem: for the second year in a row, the Packers are stumbling into the playoffs on a losing streak. Just a few weeks ago, after beating the Bears in Week 14, they were leading the NFC North and looking sharp. But then things unravelled—four straight losses, injuries piling up, and the worst of it was losing Micah Parsons to a torn ACL. He’s done till next season.

LaFleur isn’t pretending it’s all fine. He says the team has taken their lumps, but now it’s time to move on. “We’re in the dance,” he told reporters. “We’ve got to go on the road and play our best football from here.”

Nobody knows exactly who they’ll face in the first round, but LaFleur is counting on his veterans to remember what playoff football feels like. He wants them to step up when it matters most.

“You stick with what you believe in,” he said. “But everyone’s got to understand—the playoffs are different. There’s no next week if you lose. We need to play our best.”

Green Bay’s hoping that resting its stars will pay off. Whether it does, well, we’ll see soon enough.

“ LaFleur said, “Everything’s pretty fluid as we prep this week. It depends on when we actually play. But I thought practice went well—the guys who rested still got solid reps, first team offence versus first team defence. Physically, we’re in a good place.”

HOW MYLES GARRETT SURPASSED STRAHAN AND WATT FOR THE SACK RECORD

Myles Garrett makes history with his 23rd sack as Andre Szmyt’s 49-yard field goal lifts the Browns over the Bengals 20-18.

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Myles Garrett is Now the Undisputed Greatest Defender in the NFL

Myles Garrett waited until the last possible moment to break the NFL sack record, but it was Cleveland’s kicker who stole the show at the end. As the clock hit zero, Andre Szmyt nailed a 49-yard field goal to give the Browns a 20-18 win over the Bengals—a little redemption for Szmyt, who missed a short field goal and an extra point against Cincinnati way back in the season opener. This time, he delivered. On the other side, Bengals kicker Evan McPherson missed two extra points, which ended up costing his team the game.

Garrett’s big moment came with just over five minutes left. He burst up the middle, and Joe Burrow just slid to the ground—sack number 23 for Garrett. That put him past Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt for the single-season record. The Browns' bench cleared to celebrate with him, and the game paused while everyone soaked it in.

Cincinnati wasn’t done, though. Down 17-12 late, Burrow led the Bengals on a 61-yard drive and hit Ja’Marr Chase for a 4-yard touchdown, giving Cincinnati an 18-17 lead with 90 seconds left. Chase was his usual self—eight catches, 96 yards, and a score.

For Cleveland, rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders didn’t light up the stat sheet—just 111 yards on 11-of-22 passing—but he picked up his third win as a starter. The Browns closed out the season with back-to-back victories over AFC North rivals, even though their offense sputtered most of the day and they lost center Luke Wypler to a knee injury.

Burrow finished with 236 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception on 29-of-39 passing. Running back Chase Brown crossed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time and grabbed a touchdown as well, wrapping up a strong season with 72 yards on 13 carries.

Early on, it looked like Cincinnati would cruise. Burrow hit a wide-open Brown for a 4-yard touchdown after Cam Sample strip-sacked Sanders and Howard Cross recovered at the Cleveland 29. But the extra point got blocked, and that missed point loomed large later.

Cleveland’s defense made some noise, too. Devin Bush picked off Burrow and ran it back 97 yards for a score in the first quarter. Just a minute later, Sam Webb scooped up a fumble and sprinted 47 yards to the end zone. That gave the Browns a 14-6 lead.

Tee Higgins caught a 13-yard touchdown from Burrow just before halftime, and again, McPherson missed the extra point. It was that kind of day for Cincinnati.

The Browns lost their top corner, Denzel Ward, to a neck injury early on. He didn’t return.

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