Overview

• Smith opened his Raiders tenure with a 20-13 road win over the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
• He finished 24-of-34 for 362 yards with one touchdown and one interception, posting a 120.8 passer rating and a franchise record for passing yards in a team debut.
• He averaged a Week 1–best 15.1 yards per completion as New England blitzed him 17 times, pressured him eight times and sacked him four times.
• ESPN’s Ben Solak highlighted how Chip Kelly’s design paired with Smith’s willingness to push the ball downfield to create repeated explosive plays.
• Reaction included public praise from Jon Gruden and a brief encouragement from Tom Brady, with analysts emphasizing that sustained production and an opposite-style Chargers defense next week will test this start.