In a nail-biting showdown in Las Vegas, Geno Smith's reckless ball-handling proved detrimental as the Raiders fell to the Los Angeles Chargers 20-9 on Monday night.

Smith, known for his fearless plays, faced criticism after committing three interceptions that dashed the Raiders' hopes for a comeback. In a crucial fourth-quarter moment, with the Raiders trailing and only 6:05 left, he opted to throw into double coverage targeting Jakobi Meyers. The risky choice backfired when Chargers safety Derwin James tipped the ball, leading to an interception by Donte Jackson.

Coach Pete Carroll had harsh words for Smith's decision-making, stating, "I'm not supporting some of the choices there. I need to see what happened, though. I want to see if he had other options." It was clear that Smith's aggressive style of play had become a double-edged sword.

Despite throwing for 180 yards on 24 completions out of 43 attempts, his performance was marred by the interceptions, contributing to a measly passer rating of 37. His challenges began early, with the first play of the game resulting in a pick as he attempted a pass to Tre Tucker.

The Chargers capitalized on this momentum, move by moving closer to a 17-6 lead before halftime, aided by a 60-yard touchdown bomb from Justin Herbert to Quentin Johnston. Needing a quick response, Smith rolled out under pressure aiming for rookie Dont'e Thornton Jr., but that too ended in disaster as Tony Jefferson intercepted his pass.

Reflecting on his mistakes, Smith said, "Those are things that I got to learn from and be better at. Anything that doesn't look right, [I] put that on my shoulders. I will be better for our guys." Despite his struggles, his track record as an effective deep ball thrower raised eyebrows—prior to this game, he had a remarkable passer rating of 109.2 on deep throws over the last three seasons.

However, against the Chargers' formidable defense, Smith faltered. He failed to complete any of his 11 attempts for throws over 10 air yards, marking one of the worst performances recorded since 2006. Carroll noted an issue with impatience in the passing game, leading to unnecessary deep shots instead of simple, effective plays.

The Raiders as a whole struggled offensively, managing just 68 rushing yards and failing to protect their quarterback, who faced a staggering 16 pressures and three sacks. Despite their struggles, the Raiders' defense stepped up in the second half, limiting the Chargers to just three points.

"I'm never going to make any excuses about anything," Smith concluded. "I've got to be better. We've got to be better, and we've got a short week to improve on that." With the clock ticking down and a need for quick adaptation, the Raiders will be looking to bounce back.