When the Seattle Seahawks traded their legendary quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos this last offseason most people accepted that Seattle was looking at a rebuilding year, with low expectations coming from their team. But here we are, 10 games into the year, and suddenly Seattle is looking like a playoff team at this point, with a 6-4 record in the NFC West.
How is this team a potential playoff team you may ask?
Two words, Geno Smith.
Nobody in their right mind was expecting Seattle to be where they’re at right now with Geno Smith as their QB1. But Smith has been more than just a pleasant surprise for Seattle in 2022, he’s been a massive surprise. He has gone from being a long time backup for years to being one of the NFL’s more productive quarterbacks thus far. Geno Smith’s breakout in Seattle has been fascinating to watch. He has these preseason underdogs playing like playoff contenders.
Smith was in a quarterback battle with Drew Lock over the summer to even get the chance to be the starting quarterback.
To go from that, to the numbers that he’s put up and leading Seattle to where they’re at right now, is pretty astounding.
You have to remember this is not a quarterback who’s been a starter for the majority of his career, trying to get reacclimated to a new team. He’s been bounced around for 8 years as a backup for the New York Jets, New York Giants, Chargers and Seahawks, and over those years he’s thrown a total of 34 touchdowns, 37 interceptions, and just a 58.8% completion rating. And during the summer when he was battling it out with Drew Lock, Lock was actually considered the far and away favorite to get that position. Yet here we are, and Geno Smith currently has a 67.2 QBR which is 4th in the NFL, which is by far his best QBR in his career.
As of this article, Gino is currently tops in the NFL in completion percentage at 72.8%. During October and November, the 32 year old quarterback and Seattle had a 5-2 record, where he averaged 251 passing yards per game, completed 70.56% of his passes, and threw 13 touchdown passes. He has not been forcing the ball down field when the play isn’t there, and on 3rd and short, he’s been extremely effective with 5 TDs and no picks. Those are typically winning combinations that anyone would want from a quarterback. Even when the play isn’t there, or if the play isn’t made by himself or one of his receivers, he shakes it off and moves on to the next play. He doesn’t let it wreck his entire demeanor.
He has shown to be the heart, and steady hand of the surprising Seattle Seahawks. The 9 year veteran has been an entirely different animal in 2022. His eye opening and unexpected rise from career backup has actually given Seattle more life than Russell Wilson brought in his last few years in Seattle. Not only is he playing as one of the NFL’s most accurate QBs, but the former West Virginia flop is creating plays with the kind of poise that career NFL starters have displayed.
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