GLENDALE, Ariz. — When the Seattle Seahawks traded Russell Wilson in March, many believed the team would then begin searching for their next franchise quarterback. Not many thought the quarterback was already in their building.
Geno Smith has reinvigorated his career as QB1 in Seattle.
Smith rushed for 275 yards, two touchdowns to an interception and led the Seahawks to a 31-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. The Seahawks swept the season series against the Cardinals and are 6-3 in first place in the NFC West.
“I’m pleased as a team that we’re getting the recognition we deserve,” said Smith.
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Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith threw for 275 yards with two touchdowns and an interception against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Smith threw a costly interception in the third quarter that epitomized his pre-season career and threw a pass straight into the hands of Cardinals linebacker Zaven Collins for a pick-six to give Arizona a 14-10 lead.
Yet Smith’s next three drives were a classic example of his transformation this year for the surprising Seahawks – confident, accurate, efficient and punctual. He led Seattle on three straight touchdown drives after interceptions.
“Everyone makes mistakes and everyone makes mistakes. Easily overcome adversity. Get past that interception,” Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf said of Smith. “You see how he took the call and drove us there for a touchdown. Just shows the kind of person and quarterback we have.
Not only did Smith play well, he thoroughly outperformed his predecessor. Entering week 9, Smith had the best completion percentage in the NFL (72.7%) and a top five passer rating (107.2). (Meanwhile, Wilson has thrown six touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 58.8% of his passes. He has an 83.6 passer rating.)
Smith completed 76.5% of his passes (26 of 34) and finished Sunday’s win over the Cardinals with a 106.9 passer rating.
The story goes on
“Geno had another great game for us,” said Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. “He just did all his numbers again.”
It was an unlikely comeback story for the 10-year veteran.
Smith had become a backup quarterback and made 29 of his 34 starts this season in his first two years with the New York Jets after being picked in the second round of the 2013 draft. After a rocky tenure with the Jets (2013-16), Smith traded to the New York Giants (2017) and Los Angeles Chargers (2018). He then signed with the Seahawks in 2019 and was even the backup at Seattle before the team sold Wilson to the Denver Broncos. Even before training camp, quarterback Drew Lock, who came to Seattle on the Wilson trade, was the favorite for the Seahawks. But Smith held Lock back and has reignited his career in the Pacific Northwest. Smith is a Comeback Player of the Year nominee.
The Seahawks have accepted the role of the 32-year-old quarterback. They’re a team undeterred by the naysayers they tallied at the start of the season.
“We are just a resilient group. You can see that in general. You have Geno (Smith) who came over from New York and somehow got locked out and had to be in the back seat,” said Seahawks safety Ryan Neal. “You caught me not being drafted. It’s just tons of dudes throughout the team where it was all scratch and scratch. We have Tyler Lockett, one of the shortest guys in the league, but he does plays.
“We all have an underdog story. When you go out and see Geno doing something like that, it just shows the theme of that team and the heart of that team. Like I said, it’s us against the world.”
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on Twitter @TheTylerDragon.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Geno Smith shows Seahawks he can be QB of the present and future