Seattle Seahawks’ Geno Smith is making the most of this opportunity by playing historically well

You remember Geno Smith don’t you? The former New York Jets starting quarterback whose career was derailed in 2015 after getting sucker punched by a defensive player who hasn’t played in the NFL since that season. The guy who replaced Eli Manning for one week in 2017. The quarterback of the last-of -dynamic West Virginia offenses who threw 42 touchdown passes in his final season.

With Russell a.k.a. Mr. Unlimited Wilson traded to the Denver Broncos, Smith won the starting job over Drew Lock this offseason. He started a few games while Wilson was hurt in 2021, but through four games as the Seahawks’ starter this year, his 77.3 competition percentage is the highest of any quarterback through four games in the history of the NFL.

Yes, there is some dinking and dunking going with him in Pete Carroll’s offense, but Smith has still managed to throw for the 10th-most yards in the NFL this season. On Sunday, Seattle had to fend off the Lions offense all day in a 48-45 victory, but Geno Smith was able to keep the Seahawks in the driver’s seat. While he played steady in the Seahawks’ first three games, he filled up the stat line against the Lions. Smith went 23-30 for 320 yards, two touchdowns and no picks.

The Seahawks never trailed in the game as their record improved to 2-2. That said, Seattle sports fans, feel free to spend far more energy celebrating the Mariners’ first playoff berth since before Tom Brady and the New England Patriots won their first Super Bowl. While the rest of the NFC West appears vulnerable, and the concerning moment when D.K. Metcalf was carted off of the field turning out to be him urgently needing a toilet, sure the conference is weak but the Seahawks are a slightly above-average NFL team at best.

And in the NFC, that’s good enough for a wild-card berth, but through this first month of the season, the best course of action is to just feel good for Smith. He hasn’t been a designated starter since a controversy that got Ben McAdoo fired, and forced the youngest Manning to realize that midnight was soon about to strike on his career. Prior to that, his career never got the opportunity to take off an ugly locker room incident that hurt his face and reputation.

It took a while, but at 31 years old, Smith is finally getting a true chance at being a QB1. Scoring 48 points on the road is a good way to maximize that opportunity.