Matt Calkins: Geno Smith again shows NFL, Seahawks fans he's elite under pressure
Published in Football
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The stat line was as spectacular as it was unjust.
Five times Sunday, Geno Smith watched teammates drop the football he slung their way and still delivered a statistical gem.
The Seahawks quarterback completed a career-high 33 passes on 44 attempts for 327 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions — but given his receivers’ flubs and that one of his incompletions was a clock-stopping spike, that very well could have been 38 for 43.
This was particularly noteworthy given that the Patriots — the Seahawks’ opponent Sunday — held Bengals star Joe Burrow to 164 yards in Week 1. But Smith’s precision wasn’t the headline from the Seahawks 23-20 overtime win over New England. His poise was.
In other words — he did it again.
Two years ago, Smith was known as the QB who came back to prominence after spending seven years as a backup. Now he’s the man who leads comebacks any chance he gets.
His five-game winning drives last season? Tops in the NFL. Same with his four fourth quarter comebacks.
So when the Seahawks were trailing by three with less than two minutes to go Sunday, was there really any doubt? Well, yeah, there probably was. But maybe there shouldn’t have been much of it. Geno has never been viewed as one of the league’s top-tier signal callers, but his performances under pressure have been elite.
Here’s the latest example.
After the Patriots missed a field goal with 3:43 left in regulation, the Seahawks took over on their own 38. Two plays later, Smith found running back Zach Charbonnet for a 7-yard gain, then re-connected with Charbonnet on a 9-yard pass, then hooked up with DK Metcalf for a 14-yard gain.
The Seahawks settled for a field goal, but sent the game to OT with the kick. Reenter Geno.
After forcing the Patriots to punt, the Seahawks (2-0) began their final drive from their own 16. Eight plays later, they made a 31-yard field goal to win the game. How they got there? Five Smith completions — two to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, one to Metcalf, one to Charbonnet, and one to Tyler Lockett for a game-sealing, 16-yard gain.
The victory made Mike Macdonald the first Seahawks coach to ever start 2-0 in his first season at the helm — and while there were plenty of helping hands for the Seahawks, it was one arm that made the difference.
What’s your mindset in those clutch situations? Smith was asked.
“My mindset, put the ball in 7 hands. That’s my mindset,” said Smith, referring to his jersey number.” I always dreamed about these moments growing up. It’s a dream come true just to be here. Whenever I’m in this situation and the game is on the line, I’m so happy and just excited for those opportunities. I look forward to them actually. I know it’s going to happen more and more times throughout the season. The best quarterbacks always find ways to win. I want to be regarded in that light, so I just want to continue to be there for my team, do what’s right, make the plays when they come.”
It’s worth pointing out that it’s only Week 2 and that the Seahawks’ two opponents (the other being Denver) are considered to be among the worst in the league. But it’s still surprising to see them in sole possession of first place in the NFC West.
Smith, who has been splendid since being intercepted on his first pass of the season, is the MVP of that campaign. This has been particularly enjoyable for Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams, who briefly played with Smith in New York after Geno had lost his starting job. He isn’t going to lose this one.
“Every time the offense takes the field I’m just happy that they have the ball in (Smith’s) hands,” Williams said. “And it’s super exciting for me to see this in him as well because I got drafted to the Jets my rookie year and Geno was there and a whole bunch of stuff happened. I ended up coming out here last year and he’s matured so much since the last time I seen him. He’s such a leader, really takes control of the offense and leads the team in a great way.’”
The schedule is about to get significantly more challenging for the Seahawks with the Dolphins, Lions and 49ers — all playoff teams last season — being three of their next four opponents. It could prove difficult to even keep those games close.
But if they are hanging around in the fourth quarter, there’s plenty of reason to think they can pull out the win. That’s what happens when you put the ball in seven’s hands.
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