Who Should I Start? Geno Smith or Drake Maye

Wednesday, December 31, 3:41 PM

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said that quarterback Geno Smith (ankle) will not play on Sunday against the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs in the Week 18 regular-season finale, according to Ryan McFadden of ESPN. "I hate closing the door on any opportunity, but it's going to be really hard for him," Carroll said. Smith suffered a serious ankle injury in the Week 17 loss to the New York Giants and won't suit up for a meaningless contest to close out the regular season. With the 35-year-old veteran wrapping up a brutal first year in the desert, backup Kenny Pickett is expected to start this weekend. Aidan O'Connell could also end up splitting time with Pickett against KC. Smith was one of the worst starting QBs in football in 2025, completing 67.4% of his 448 pass attempts for 3,205 yards, 19 touchdowns, and a league-leading 17 interceptions in 15 starts.

Tuesday, January 27, 2:30 PM

New England Patriots (shoulder) should be fine to play in the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. "This is a sport where there's gonna be things that come up. We'll talk about whatever status each player has for the game once we're required to," head coach Mike Vrabel said when asked if Maye injured his shoulder in the AFC Championship win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. It doesn't sound like the second-year signal-caller's injury is very serious, and the good news is he'll have an extra week to recover before the big game in Santa Clara, Calif. It was hard to throw the ball in snowy conditions in Denver, as the 23-year-old went 10-for-21 passing for 86 yards, but he also added 10 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown. As long as Maye's shoulder doesn't affect his throwing, he should bounce back with better numbers against the Seahawks.