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Tuesday Round-Up: Geno Smith Named Week 2 Standout By NBC Sports

Following Sunday’s 37-31 overtime win over the Detroit Lions, Peter King of NBC Sports broke down why Geno Smith and the Seahawks are perfect matches.

Sep 19, 2023 at 12:45 PM

Maliik Obee

Seahawks.com Contributor

Good morning, 12s. Here's a look at what's out there today — Tuesday, September 19 — about your Seattle Seahawks.

NBC Sports' Peter King Examines Geno Smith and The Seahawks' Big Game In Detroit

Last month, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith sat down with NBC Sports analyst and writer Peter King at the conclus ion of training camp to discuss his plans to continue to ascend in 2023. Following Seattle's Week 2 overtime road victory over the Detroit Lions, King broke down why Smith and the Seahawks are a perfect fit together at this point of his career.

End of 4Q: Geno Smith back-breaking sack.

OT: Geno completes 6/7 passes for 69 yards and a TD on the game-winning drive.

In a big #Seahawks win over Detroit, Geno embodied the theme of the day: resilience. pic.twitter.com/7ZHmZKqnzU

https://t.co/NNSvPyOZ4p
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) September 18, 2023

In 2022, Seattle escaped Detroit with a 48-45 victory in a Week 4 road shootout. Sunday, the Seahawks faced a packed house and an undefeated Lions team, coming off a road upset over the Kansas City Chiefs. In another down-to-the-wire shootout, Smith excelled despite the absence of starting tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas due to injury. With the score squared at 31 in the overtime period, the West Virginia alum led the offense on a sustained drive the length of the field before connecting with wideout Tyler Lockett under pressure for a walk-off touchdown. On the day, Smith completed 32 of 41 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns.

King took note of Smith's performance in Week 2 following Seattle's season-opening loss to the Rams. Following Seattle's Week 1 loss, Smith took accountability for the team's efforts and promised to bring the best out of his teammates against Detroit. It's safe to say he delivered on that promise in Week 2, which caused King to praise his efforts while comparing his first 20 games as a Seahawk to Russell Wilson.

Geno Smith is the right quarterback for Seattle at this moment in his life—and in this franchise's existence. Lower in this column, you'll read about what Pete Carroll learned from Geno Smith. It's insightful and shows an unselfish person who knows how to lead a team. That's all well and good—but can the guy play? Sunday's 37-31 victory in Detroit was Smith's 20th start in Seattle since taking over for Russell Wilson, and I find it fairly amazing that Smith is every bit the player in his first 20 games that Wilson was in his last 20 in Seattle.

Wilson's last 20: 11-9, 99.8 rating, .649 completion rate, 4,339 yards, 35 TD, 9 Int.

Smith's first 20: 10-10, 101.1 rating, .700 completion rate, 4,722 yards, 33 TD, 11 Int.

After a poor season-opening loss to the Rams, Smith said he and Bobby Wagner spoke to the team. Have fun and play with swagger, Wagner said. Stay connected and play for each other, Smith said. Team things. "This is only our second game together, because teams change every year," Smith said after the game Sunday. "We're finding out about each other and we're learning about each other. One of my messages is to keep our composure all the way through the game. Like, my message in the huddle when we get across the 50 and the drive is getting toward the goal line, I tell the guys, 'Take a deep breath. Calm down. Relax. Just execute.' I try to be the thermometer in the huddle. Make sure everyone's cool, so we can get our jobs done. On the [game-winning] drive in overtime, I could feel it—everyone knew we'd score. It's the confidence you gotta have. That's super fun, right? You get the ball in your hands at the end of a game. That's what you live for and you dream about as a kid, the opportunity to go win the game. It's so much fun." And that's the guy you want in your huddle, piloting your team.

King continued by breaking down exactly what he's learned about Smith and what coach Pete Carroll has learned from his quarterback.

It's not always the players who learn from coaches. Sometimes it's vice versa, as with the NFL's oldest coach, Seattle's Pete Carroll, who turned 72 last week. Carroll on what he's learned from his quarterback Geno Smith, who spent most of seven seasons as a backup before ascending to the starting job last season:

"I didn't realize it was happening in Geno's first couple years here, how well he was commanding the backup situation. He was really improving. Really working. He thought of himself as a starter. When he wound up going in, there was not a transition. Geno's the example I preach about to our players. He maintained a starter's mentality throughout four years of sitting … But he never didn't believe. It was a teachable moment for the rest of the team. I wound up telling the whole team about it because it's the perfect illustration of how every backup should prepare—when you get in there, it's not a shock to you. It's not unexpected. We call it G prep."

('G prep,' as in Geno Smith prep.)

"That's what we all hope for when we're coaching but I'd never seen it so clearly illustrated. It's a fascinating realization. I've been coaching for a million years. Never figured it out, never saw it like I saw with Geno. Having the discipline as a player when there's a guy ahead of you, that's the hard part. Where do you find a guy disciplined enough that he can make himself ignore the reality? So he became a clear example to every player in our locker room. He's not just playing—he's teaching as he's doing this.

"You know, Kobe Bryant talked about the curiosity that he had to maintain as his career went on. Always being curious. That's what Geno has."

Seattle heads into Week 3's matchup against the Carolina Panthers with the No.5 quarterback in completion percentage (71.6) and one-of-four quarterbacks to not throw an interception across the first two weeks of the season (Min: 65 attempts). As evident per his latest piece, King believes Smith's 2022 success isn't ending anytime soon.

Social Post Of The Day

Cast your vote for Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith while time remains for the FedEx Air Player of the Week!

VOTE for the @FedEx Air Player of the Week!
— NFL (@NFL) September 18, 2023

Morefrom Around The Web

Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times: Seahawks’ Pete Carroll praises Devon Witherspoon, provides updates on Riq Woolen and DK Metcalf.

Matt Calkins of the Seattle Times: Seahawks show encouraging signs vs. Lions, but defense loaded with concerns.

Jonathan Alfano of Sports Illustrated: Seahawks’ DK Metcalf Praised for ‘Poised’ Performance vs. Lions.

Gregg Bell of The News Tribune: Jamal Adams full go in Seahawks practices. That doesn’t mean he’s going to play Sunday.

Brent Stecker of Seattle Sports 710AM:Seattle Seahawks’ TEs showed why they can be key to offense.