The Las Vegas Raiders‘ Week 16 loss against the Houston Texans didn’t surprise anyone. After all, it was their ninth consecutive loss. However, the quarterback coach, Greg Olson, saw something special from Geno Smith and his offense, which sparked hopes of a comeback.

“We controlled the line of scrimmage for the most part when you look at it, and you’re not going to win every matchup, but when you go through the course of the game and you look at the number of runs that were called, how many did we control the line of scrimmage, and how many did they control the line of scrimmage?,” Olson said.

“And I felt like it was our best game in that regard.”

The Raiders made 53 plays for 315 total yards. But their start was sloppy. On a 3rd & 1 play at the Raiders 30, Geno Smith ran to his right and fired the ball straight to rookie running back Ashton Jeanty. But the cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. intercepted it and scored a pick-six. It fired up the Raiders’ offense.

On the 3rd & 7 play at the Raiders 28, Smith fired another ball left to tight end Brock Bowers, who caught it and gained six yards. It was the start of their excellent performance. In the second quarter, the signal caller threw the ball straight, which Bowers caught in the end zone for the equalizing touchdown.

On their first drive after halftime, Smith threw the ball deep into the backfield, where Jeanty made a perfect catch. Cornerback Myles Bryant tried to tackle him, but the rookie shoved him while running into the end zone.

It was the first time since the Week 11 loss against the Dallas Cowboys that the Raiders had a lead in the game. However, Geno Smith and Jeanty showed great partnership for their final touchdown.

At the 5:34 mark in the fourth quarter, Smith got the snap and handed it over to the rookie. The offensive linemen held off the Texans’ defense on the line of scrimmage. Jeanty ran down the field for the final Raiders’ score. Unfortunately, the Raiders lost 23-21 and have the worst record in the NFL.

However, the improved performance has given hope to the locker room. They want to end the season on a positive note.

Geno Smith wants to end the 2025 season on a high

The Raiders have a real chance of winning the last two games of the regular season. While the New York Giants have a similar 2-13 record, they could also win against the Kansas City Chiefs, as Patrick Mahomes is out with an ACL and LCL injury.

“A lot of guys work hard, extremely hard, and unfortunately, the season’s going the way that it’s going. But we put ourselves in this position, and we’ve got to finish the season out the right way. And so that’s what we’re focused on inside the locker room,” he said during the December 24 post-game conference.

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Geno Smith understands that losing has strained the locker room. As the season is about to end, they have a chance of winning against the depleted teams and still end on a high note. They need to continue their improved performance.