Tag: Geno Smith

Geno Smith became the Seahawks’ No. 5 all time leading passer in Week 2

Geno Smith became the Seahawks’ No. 5 all time leading passer in Week 2

Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback Geno Smith was nothing short of sublime on Sunday. Against the New England Patriots in Week 2, Smith truly helped carry the team on a day when Seattle only had 46 rushing yards.

Smith navigated the Patriots’ secondary with ease, as if he were George Washington crossing the Delaware, completing 33-of-44 passes for 327 yards and a touchdown. What is truly remarkable is the fact his numbers could, and should, have been better due to the fact his receivers had five drops. According to head coach Mike Macdonald, he was “dynamite.“

What is also dynamite is the fact Geno Smith continues to make Seahawks history. Last week against the Broncos, Smith had the longest rushing touchdown by a Seattle quarterback since the 1984 season. Against the Patriots, Smith further cemented his status as indisputably one of the best quarterbacks in Seahawks franchise history.

No, this is not an exaggeration. With his 327 yards passing, Smith passed Rick Mirer to become the No. 5 all time leading passer for the Seahawks. The current list now goes as follows:

  1. Russell Wilson – 37,059
  2. Matt Hasselbeck – 29,434
  3. Dave Krieg – 26,132
  4. Jim Zorn – 20,122
  5. Geno Smith – 9,139

Smith is also No. 5 all time with 842 completions (also passing Mirer in Week 2) and is No. 5 with 57 touchdown passes – eclipsing both Mirer and Jon Kitna last season.

Alright, so it’s obvious Smith will never come within the same stratosphere of Russell Wilson’s lofty numbers he logged in Seattle. It’s also highly probable Smith won’t threaten Jim Zorn’s totals, let alone surpass. But what Smith can do is create further legitimate separation between himself and the rest of the Seahawks quarterbacks behind him in franchise history.

Smith isn’t going to be statistically No. 1, but with how he’s playing, he’s not likely to be lower than No. 5 for quite some time. Not bad for a quarterback who is only entering his third year as a starter.

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Seahawks survive, defeat Patriots 23-20 in overtime

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Seahawks survive, defeat Patriots 23-20 in overtime

Seahawks survive, defeat Patriots 23-20 in overtime

For the first time since the 2020 campaign, the Seattle Seahawks have started a season with a 2-0 record! They did so by defeating the New England Patriots 23-20 in overtime on the road at Gillette Stadium. For his efforts, Mike Macdonald becomes the first Seahawks head coach to start his career in Seattle 2-0 since interim head coach Mike McCormack in 1982.

Making this victory all the sweeter is the fact the Seahawks defeated the Patriots on the day they chose to honor the 10-year anniversary of their triumph over Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX. While a regular season victory will never equal the pain inflicted, the 12th Man will surely still smile knowing the Seahawks spoiled their little party.

It certainly was not easy for Seattle. The Patriots are going to win games only one way this year: keeping teams off the field with their run game, and playing solid defense. New England worked this formula almost flawlessly, winning the time of possession battle 35:42 to Seattle’s 29:41. The Pats also outrushed the Seahawks 185 yards to only 46. Of the five second half possessions for Seattle, three were punts, one turnover on downs instead of opting to attempt a field goal, and one drive that did end in a field goal.

The aforementioned field goal drive was enough to send the game into overtime tied at 20-20, thanks to Julian Love blocking a New England field goal attempt, which would have given the Pats a 23-17 lead.

Once the game went into overtime, New England won the coin toss, but had to punt the ball away after going 3-and-out. After getting the ball back, Geno Smith did what Geno Smith excells at: leading game winning drives.

Last season, Smith led the entire NFL with five game winning drives. Had Jason Myers connected on a field goal against the Rams last year, Smith would have had six. But on Sunday against the Pats, Myers did connect on a 31-yard attempt to give the Seahawks the victory.

Next up: the Seahawks return to the friendly confines of Lumen Field to host a Miami Dolphins team likely without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

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First half highlights: Seahawks lead the Patriots 17-13

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Week 2 preview and prediction: Seahawks at Patriots

Week 2 preview and prediction: Seahawks at Patriots

The Seattle Seahawks will look to keep their winning ways going on this young season in Week 2. However, they will have to earn their win against a defensively stout New England Patriots team in Foxboro.

New England was one of the worst teams in football last season, and it resulted in the team finally moving on from the legendary Bill Belichick. In his place is a former player of Belichicks, linebacker Jerod Mayo, who is enjoying his first job as a head coach. That’s right, Week 2 is a showdown between two young, defensive minded, rookie head coaches. Gone are the aforementioned Belichick and Pete Carroll. A new era is on the horizon for the teams playing in the bookend cities of I-90.

Like the Seahawks in many recent seasons, the media has seemingly written off New England. The Patriots may not be playoff caliber this year, but that’s not to suggest they will be a bad team. The idea this New England squad won’t be competitive is rather foolish in my opinion. They are anchored by a solid defense that will surely ruin plenty of offenses’ days (see: Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1) and led by a veteran quarterback in Jacoby Brissett. The journeyman backup probably won’t be earning any Pro Bowl nods this year, but Brissett is more than capable of leading an offense effectively to victory. New England is going to win games by dragging teams down into the mud with them.

All this to say the Seahawks are going to find themselves in a dogfight this weekend. The Patriots defensive line is sure to give Seattle’s weakened offensive line fits. Sunday will also mark the celebration of the 10-year anniversary of New England’s triumph over the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX, so you can be sure the Pats’ ring-wearing head coach who was a player on that championship team will have his squad sufficiently fired up in front of the home crowd.

But for as dominant as the New England defense was last week, the Seahawks’ defense was similarly suffocating. When the Broncos weren’t literally gifted the ball in Seattle’s red zone or freely given points by safeties, they only scored 10 points… which is the total the Patriots held the Bengals to on the road. The Broncos may have a watergun offense, but it’s not like New England has a high-octane unit either.

As for the Seahawks offense against the Patriots defense, they matchup better than expected. Yes, Cincinnati has the edge at quarterback. Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase are among the best in the entire league at their positions. But Seattle is deeper across all skill positions than the Bengals are. Additionally, Cincinnati always starts slow, and they had an offseason rife with contract negotiation drama, injuries and even illness. The Seahawks are going to be a more buttoned up opponent for the Patriots.

The key to this game is if Seattle can get their ground game going. The absence of Kenneth Walker is a blow, and it remains to be seen if they can overcome his loss. Zach Charbonnet, Kenny McIntosh and perhaps George Holani are going to have to shoulder the load. If the Seahawks can still run the ball effectively, sustain drives and keep the points flowing, then they should be able to escape Foxboro with a win. If not, and Geno Smith is facing multiple 3rd-and-longs, then it could be another rough outing like we saw in the first half last week.

Prediction: Seahawks over Patriots 17-13

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Watch: Every Geno Smith completion from Week 1

Watch: Every Geno Smith completion from Week 1

The Seattle Seahawks are flying high after their Week 1 victory over the Denver Broncos. Seattle successfully defended home turf with their 26-20 win – their fourth over Denver in the last five meetings. Although the Seahawks got off to a good start overall, it was not exactly a pretty beginning for the team… particularly the offense.

Seattle had mustered all of nine points in the first half, coming from a field goal, a historic 34-yard Geno Smith touchdown run, and a missed two-point conversion.

By the time the second half started, the Seahawks offense had found their groove. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb made the necessary adjustments, they started to feed Kenneth Walker III the ball more, and it resulted in a 17-0 run on their first three possessions.

Quietly, Geno Smith had an efficient and solid afternoon. Smith may not have been the star of the day, but he did exactly what he was asked to do and bounced back nicely from his opening drive interception. The Seahawks tweeted out every completion from Smith, and it’s worth a watch.

Overall, Smith completed 18-of-25 passes for 171 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Again, not exactly Pro Bowl numbers, but more than good enough to get the job done in Week 1.

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INSANE Seahawks stat: Geno Smith’s rushing touchdown made Seattle history

INSANE Seahawks stat: Geno Smith’s rushing touchdown made Seattle history

During the first half of the Seattle Seahawks’ Week 1 showdown against the Denver Broncos, Seattle’s offense and special teams looked entirely discombobulated. After an interception, a muffed punt and a safety (the first of two, I might add) the Seahawks were trailing the Broncos 8-3.

With a few ticks above six minutes left to play in the first half, Smith and the Seahawks offense were on the march into Denver territory. Facing a first and 10 at Denver’s 34-yard line, Geno Smith took a page right out of Thanos’ book and said “fine, I’ll do it myself” as he took off for a touchdown run. The score gave the Seahawks their first lead of the afternoon.

https://twitter.com/Seahawks/status/1832891450368868710

Smith’s scramble didn’t just give the Seahawks a much-needed lead, he also ran his way further into franchise history… literally! The 34-yard touchdown run was the longest by a Seahawks quarterback since Dave Krieg had a 37-yard rush against the then-San Diego Chargers in Week 2 of the 1984 season. The date of the game? September 9th, 1984.

Almost 40 years ago to. the. day.

Sometimes, football is freaky like that.

Back then, Krieg’s Seahawks were coming off the first playoff run in franchise history, which saw Seattle make it all the way to the AFC Championship game. The Seahawks, fresh off a 33-0 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, handled their business against San Diego.

The Chargers had built up a 10-0 lead to start the game, but Seattle took over from there. Seattle eventually claimed their first lead of the game, 17-10, behind Krieg’s 37-yard dead sprint on 3rd-and-10. The explosive run can be seen here, and we certainly recommend giving it a view. From there, the Seahawks would go on to build a 31-10 lead over San Diego, before eventually finishing with a 31-17 victory.

Again, it’s funny how football works some times. Both of these quarterback runs happened at home, against AFC West teams with losing records the year prior, and in the iconic royal blue throwbacks.

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Geno Smith reflects on his growth from the last time the Seahawks faced the Broncos

Geno Smith reflects on his growth from the last time the Seahawks faced the Broncos

Seahawks versus Broncos at Lumen Field in Week 1 is almost becoming a September tradition at Lumen Field. For the second time in the last three seasons, Seattle opened the year with Denver at home. Life moves quickly in the NFL, and a lot has changed since the Broncos lost 17-16 on Monday Night Football in 2022.

Both teams have undergone plenty of change since then, but one of the constants has been Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. Still, even Smith is not the same player he was then. Two years ago, Smith was seen as a liability at quarterback. A journeyman backup who won a preseason competition, but merely a bridge until Seattle could find someone else. Instead, Smith proved he was more than capable of being a starter, earning two Pro Bowl nods and taking home Comeback Player of the Year honors.

Now we are entering into year three of the Geno Smith era. During the postgame press conference, I asked Smith how he would evaluate his growth as both a player and a leader. Smith gave an honest and humble answer, as is par for the course with him.

“Hopefully my teammates can speak for that, but personally, I just feel like I
have taken the approach to get better every single day,” Smith stated. “Taken that approach in my leadership, my faith walking, as well as all the football stuff. Hopefully for the guys they can attest to that andsay I’ve grown. Just trying get better every single day. Really just stuck in that mindset.” 

Of course, the last time these two teams played, Smith gave the NFL world an all-time postgame quote by saying “they wrote me off, I ain’t write back, though.” According to Smith himself, he’s still not writing back.

https://twitter.com/KoleMusgrove23/status/1832938102199111901

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Geno Smith presented Mike Macdonald with the game ball

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Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald was presented the game ball from Geno Smith

Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald was presented the game ball from Geno Smith

The Seattle Seahawks are 1-0 to start the 2024 season. But this isn’t your ordinary Week 1 victory. It’s not every season (thankfully) that you get to witness someone claim his first win as an NFL head coach. On Sunday, Mike Macdonald accomplished just that with his 26-20 win over Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos.

Seattle overcame a shaky 13-9 halftime deficit where the offense looked more lost than usual, and dominated Denver in the second half. The final score does not indicate how uncompetitive the Broncos looked in the last two quarters. Macdonald was hired primarily to help fix the porous defense, and against Denver, his unit looked ferocious.

After the game, typically it is the head coach who hands out game balls. Macdonald did, giving a specifically themed “closer” ball to wide receiver Tyler Lockett who closed out the game with his third down reception on the final drive.

But Lockett wasn’t the only Seahawk to get special postgame accolades. Quarterback Geno Smith presented his head coach with a game ball to commemorate his first victory as the top man. When asked about during the press conference, Macdonald smiled ear to ear.

“It was awesome,” Macdonald beamed. “I accept it on behalf of everybody. It’s special, it’s obviously our first win. It hasn’t hit me… I mean like it’s hit me, and it’s cool, but it hasn’t quite hit me yet.”

It’s one thing to win your first game, but to win your first game in your first opportunity in front of your home fans? I have a feeling this is a game Mike Macdonald isn’t going to ever forget.

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Seahawks engineer 2nd half comeback, dominate Broncos for a 26-20 win

Seahawks engineer 2nd half comeback, dominate Broncos for a 26-20 win

Week 1 is in the books and the Seattle Seahawks begin the 2024 NFL season with a 1-0 record. Of course, it was hardly easy getting to this point. Offensively, the Seahawks looked as lost as I can ever remember seeing them. The first two plays were a sack then an interception, followed by two more possessions with punts. They had only mustered nine total points, which came from a field goal and a 34-yard Geno Smith touchdown run.

They had scored nine points, but directly handed the Broncos seven. Not only did the first interception lead to a field goal, but the Seahawks surrendered four additional points on two safeties. Seattle limped into the locker room down 13-9, only in the game thanks to the stellar play of their defense.

Well, whatever halftime adjustements they made certainly paid off. It was a tale of two halves at Lumen Field. The Seahawks came out of the gates swinging, scoring a touchdown on their first possession of the second half behind the legs of running back Kenneth Walker III. The drive gave Seattle a 16-13 lead – a lead they would not relinquish.

On Denver’s following possession, Denver’s running back Jaleel McLaughlin coughed up a fumble which was immediately recovered by Seattle. The Seahawks turned that turnover into another three points. After forcing the Broncos to punt again, Geno Smith found running back Zach Charbonnet for a 30-yard touchdown  to start the fourth quarter.

Of course, the Broncos would not go quietly into the good night. After a drive that ended in Nix throwing a second interception of the night to Seattle’s Riq Woolen, the former Oregon Duck led Denver on a seven-play, 54-yard touchdown drive, capped off by Nix himself scrambling into the end zone. Denver had made it a 26-20 game.

But the Broncos defense could not get one final stop. Geno Smith found Tyler Lockett on third down to move the sticks and run the clock out. For the second time in the last three seasons, the Seahawks have defeated the Denver Broncos in Week 1.

Interestingly enough, the last time the Seahawks hosted the Broncos for a regular season, non-primetime game was in 2014… and Seattle won that one 26-20 as well.

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Bo Nix struggles, Broncos lose to Seahawks 26-20 in Week 1

Bo Nix struggled until late in the fourth quarter and his late touchdown wasn’t enough as the Broncos fell 26-20 to the Seahawks.

Bo Nix struggled in his NFL debut as the Denver Broncos lost to the Seattle Seahawks 26-20 at Lumen Field on Sunday afternoon.

Nix went 26-of-42 passing for 138 yards with no passing touchdowns and two interceptions. It was a day to forget for the rookie and Denver’s entire offense.

Denver’s defense, on the other hand, came out flying, starting the game with a Jonathon Cooper sack on Seattle’s first snap. One play later, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith threw an interception to Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton.

That takeaways set Denver’s offense up with good field position, but the Broncos had to settle for a 35-yard Wil Lutz field goal to take a 3-0 lead. Seattle matched that field goal to make it 3-3 later in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Denver drove down to the Seahawks’ 21-yard line, but the drive ended with Nix’s first career interception, a poor decision thrown into coverage. That turnover set Seattle up at its own one-yard line and their offensive line was penalized for holding on the next play, a foul that resulted in a two-point safety. That gave the Broncos a 5-3 lead.

Later in the second quarter, Denver safety JL Skinner recovered a muffed Seahawks punt return at Seattle’s nine-yard line. The Broncos’ offense then settled for another Lutz field goal to make it 8-3.

The Seahawks erased that deficit on their next drive when Smith rushed 34 yards for a touchdown to make 9-8 (their 2-point attempt failed).

Denver made another big play on special teams later in the second quarter when cornerback Tremon Smith and Skinner teamed up to pin Seattle at its own one-yard line on a punt. One play later, Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet was tackled by Zach Allen in the end zone for another safety that made it 10-9.

Lutz added a 45-yard field goal just before halftime to extend the lead to 13-9. After the offense went three-and-out to open the second half, the Broncos’ defense allowed a 23-yard touchdown run to Ken Walker as the Seahawks retook the lead 16-13.

On Denver’s ensuing drive, running back Jaleel McLaughlin lost a fumble near midfield. That led to a Seattle field goal that made it 19-13.

In the fourth quarter, Charbonnet scored on a 30-yard touchdown catch to extend the lead to 26-13. Nix later threw a second interception that essentially sealed the Broncos’ fate. Nix’s garbage time four-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter proved to be too little too late as Denver fell 26-20 after the Seahawks ran out the clock.

Up next for Denver is a home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2. After sitting out Week 1 with a calf injury, Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson has an uncertain status for next week’s game at Empower Field at Mile High.

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First half highlights: Seahawks trail Broncos 13-9

First half highlights: Seahawks trail Broncos 13-9

It has been a bizarre and sloppy first half of football for both the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. Increasingly, Week 1 games across the league are becoming this way due to lack of starters playing in the preseason, and this seems to be the case at Lumen Field.

Through two quarters, the Seahawks trail the Broncos 13-9. Things did not start well for Seattle. On their first two plays, quarterback Geno Smith was sacked then threw an interception. Despite the horrendous field position they were put in, the Seahawks did not allow a first down and held Denver to a field goal. Both teams traded punts for several possessions, until the Seahawks managed to tie the game at 3-3 on their fourth drive of the game.

The first highlight of the year for the Seahawks defense came courtesy of Pro Bowl safety Julian Love, who intercepted rookie Bo Nix at the one yard line.

https://twitter.com/Seahawks/status/1832886430286413928

Unfortunately, the good vibes did not last long for Seattle, as they were flagged for holding on the first play following the interception. Since the foul occured in the end zone, it resulted in a safety to give Denver a 5-3 lead. The Broncos did not do much with it, and had to punt the ball away…

…which they quickly got back thanks to a muffed Seahawks punt, putting the Broncos back within Seattle’s goal line.

https://twitter.com/Broncos/status/1832888497012912461

Once more, the Seahawks defense held strong and did their best with the terrible field position. Seattle held Denver to only three points. On their next drive, the Seahawks finally found the end zone thanks to the legs of Geno Smith. The 34-yard run gave Seattle a 9-8 lead, but the ensuring 2-point conversion fell flat.

The two points the Seahawks did not get loomed large. Denver punted once more, pinning Seattle on their own 1-yard line… which resulted in yet another safety to give the Broncos a 10-9 lead. For the first time in my life, I have witnessed a game with two safeties, and I’m sure I’m not alone.

So there you have it, folks. The weirdest way to a 13-9 score any of us have seen in quite some time, or perhaps ever.

The Broncos will receive the ball to start the second half. As for the Seahawks, plenty of adjustments are needed if they want to avoid the Week 1 upset for the second-straight season.

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