As expected, Las Vegas Raiders starting quarterback Geno Smith will be play Sunday at the Houston Texans on Sunday. Kickoff is at 1:25 pm. PT.
Raiders coach Pete Carroll announced Friday afternoon that Smith will star Sunday and for the rest of the season.
Smith practiced fully all week (Carroll liked what he saw) after he missed Sunday’s 31-0 shutout loss at the Philadelphia Eagles as the Raiders dropped to 2-12. It was Smith’s first missed game of the season. He was dealing with shoulder and back
injuries. Thus, Smith were lead Las Vegas’ offense against the Texans, who have the NFL’s No. 1 ranked defense. The Raiders of course, have the league’s worst-ranked offense.
Backup Kenny Pickett played against the Eagles. He completed 15 of 25 passes for 64 yards as the Raiders compiled just 75 total yards of offense, their lowest output in a game since the 1961 season.
Standout left tackle Kolton Miller has not been activated from the injured reserve. If he isn’t lifted from the injured reserve by the end of next week, his season will be over. He practiced the past two weeks on a limited basis. He hasn’t played since Week 4 because of an ankle injury.
Meanwhile, for Houston, star cornerback Derek Stingley (Oblique), linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (ankle/knee) and running back Woody Marks (ankle) are all questionable to play after being limited Friday. They are key players for the Texans.
