In Week 1 against the Patriots, Geno Smith looked unstoppable, so sharp that even Tom Brady texted him afterwards: “Good game, get ready for the next one.” But in Week 2’s 20-9 loss to the Chargers, the Raiders offense faltered, and head coach Pete Carroll held QB Geno Smith accountable for the loss.

“Geno’s a 70% guy and tonight he wasn’t that,” Carroll said in the post-game presser. “I thought we were impatient in the throwing game,” he added. And you can’t really argue with Carroll’s words. Geno looked like a fraction of the quarterback we saw against the Patriots, let’s say 30 percent. It was a bad night overall for the Raiders.

Justin Herbert led the Chargers to a dominant win, throwing for 242 yards and two touchdowns. The defense backed him up with three interceptions on Geno Smith and kept the Raiders out of the end zone all night. The hosts’ were outgained 317-218 and left Allegiant Stadium with only three Daniel Carlson field goals to show for it.

As bad as the Raiders‘ OL and backfield were, Geno Smith might’ve been the biggest disappointment of the night. He wrapped 24-of-43 for 180 yards with three interceptions, barely a 55.8% completion rate. That’s the gap Carroll pointed to when he said Geno wasn’t the “70% guy” they needed.

Now compare this performance to the one we saw against the Patriots. He lit up week 1, going 24-of-34 for 362 yards with a touchdown and just one interception in the win. His 362 yards marked the most by a Raiders quarterback in a debut since Dan Pastorini threw for 317 back in 1980.

So what really changed? You could argue it wasn’t Geno collapsing, it was the Chargers knowing how to deal with him.

They came locked in: hitting explosive plays, harassing Geno on key downs, and flipping the game with three takeaways (interceptions by Daiyan Henley, Tony Jefferson, and Donte Jackson). A few turnovers came off tips or relentless pressure, but the impact was the same.

But according to Carroll, everything came down to not making the throws Geno should’ve.

Pete Carroll opens up on his regrets from tonight

Carroll called out Geno’s decision-making, and expressed regret that his offense did not capitalize on simple throws. “We didn’t get the ball thrown underneath. I wish we had not taken those shots. They looked like we had to score quick or something,” he said.

Hurried decision-making was a problem tonight for Geno Smith. Look back at the tape. Midway through the second quarter, Geno tried to float one into the end zone, but veteran Tony Jefferson was waiting, snagging it just outside the paint. What should’ve been a momentum shot turned into a gut-punch mistake in an already tense half.

And then in the fourth quarter, Geno forced a throw to Jakobi Meyers in the middle of the end zone, and that’s when disaster struck. Derwin James got just enough of a fingertip on the ball, tipping it into the air, and Donte Jackson hauled it in. That turnover was the final dagger, the play that sealed the Chargers’ win.

Basically, Two of Geno’s three picks came on downfield, tight-window throws, not the quick hitters underneath. And that’s exactly what Carroll was talking about: instead of letting Geno work the short-to-intermediate game, the offense kept hunting chunk plays the Chargers were ready to shut down.

The confidence Geno showed last week was nowhere to be found this time. He’s got the talent to steer this Raiders team into the playoffs. But it all comes down to delivering that level of play consistently, week after week.