LAS VEGAS — Raiders coach Pete Carroll said he briefly contemplated pulling quarterback Geno Smith for backup Kenny Pickett during Sunday’s 40-6 loss at Indianapolis.

The Raiders trailed by 23 points at the time, and Smith had just thrown his second interception of the game and fifth in the past seven quarters. He has an NFL-high nine after five games.

“I was thinking that there was reason to do that,” Carroll said.

But he didn’t. His thought process reveals a lot about where the 1-4 Raiders are right now.

“We need to stay out there and keep practicing,” Carroll said. “We need to keep practicing, we need the reps, we need the turns. We need to run the system. We need to feel it. We need to see the guys get their opportunities to improve.”

That might seem odd considering Smith is the Raiders’ elder statesman who will turn 35 on Friday. The Raiders acquired the 12-year veteran in the offseason with the expectation that he would improve the team's quarterback play.

Five games into the season, though, it’s becoming clear that the Raiders can’t waste any opportunity to practice — even during games. On Sunday, as the Raiders continue to learn the Raiders' new offensive system, Las Vegas featured two rookie wide receivers, a rookie running back, two second-year offensive linemen, a new center and a backup left tackle.

In another season, Smith gets pulled. But not this one. At least not right now.

“That’s not what’s necessary,” Carroll said. “We need to get better and get right. So these are the games that we’re working on, and these are the games we have to learn from and grow from so that we can change the course of the way things are going.”

Red zone woes

The Raiders failed to capitalize on four trips to the red zone Sunday. Las Vegas settled for field goals on two trips and threw an interception on another. The fourth was at the end of the game.

Smith played a major role in the demise. On the Raiders’ opening drive, he took an ill-advised sack that pushed Las Vegas from the Colts’ 3-yard line to the 14, essentially denying the Raiders a chance of a touchdown.

Then, with the Raiders trying to cut into the Colts’ 14-3 lead, he was intercepted on a pass that was tipped at the line of scrimmage.

Across the board, though, there were breakdowns.

“Right now, I think we’re probably one of the worst teams in the red zone,” rookie running back Ashton Jeanty said.

He isn’t far off.

The Raiders rank 31st in red zone efficiency, scoring touchdowns on just 35.71%. Only the Giants are worse at 31.58%.

“We’ve got to get better,” Jeanty said. “I can’t say there’s a specific answer, (but) we just got to go back, watch the film, everybody look in the mirror and see how we can get better.”

Raiders release linebacker

The Raiders have released starting linebacker Germaine Pratt.

The veteran, who signed with the Raiders during the offseason, played in four games with the club. He did not make the trip to Indianapolis.

Pratt, who had 25 tackles, including 10 solo, signed a one-year, $4.2 million contract with the Raiders, including $3.75 million guaranteed.

“We just thought it was time to go in a different direction,” Carroll said Monday.

Malcolm Koonce, Jamal Adams and Charles Snowden will replace Pratt, Carroll said.

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