Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll had a lot of good things to say about quarterback Geno Smith following the Seahawks’ Week 16 win over the Tennessee Titans.
For the second straight week, the Seahawks rallied for a comeback victory late in the fourth quarter, but this time, it was Smith engineering the drive instead of Drew Lock.
Smith was back on the field Sunday after missing two straight games due to a groin injury, and he returned with a vengeance, leading Seattle on a 14-play, 75-yard drive capped by a five-yard touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson with just under a minute remaining to give the Seahawks the win.
“You’ve got to be around him to appreciate the competitive mentality that he has,” Carroll said, via John Boyle of the Seahawks’ official team website. “He’s in such a good place. He believes so strongly that it’s going to happen, and it’s going to get done and his guys are going to come through for him. And that belief it transfers, translates to other guys, they feel him. So they go through and do what they’re supposed to do, and it comes out well. He’s having an enormous impact on these guys just because his mentality is so strong and so consistent.”
Smith went 25-for-36 with 227 yards and a couple of touchdowns on the afternoon as a whole. Seattle improved to 8-7 and moved into the seventh and final playoff spot in the NFC with the win.
On the season overall, Smith has thrown for 3,145 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 64.8 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 90.4.
The 33-year-old is in his second full season as the Seahawks’ starting quarterback after spending his first three years with the club as Russell Wilson’s backup. Smith stepped into the lead role when Seattle traded Wilson to the Denver Broncos in March 2022.
Smith was originally selected by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft and spent his first four NFL seasons with the Jets before joining the New York Giants for one year in 2017. He then linked up with the Los Angeles Chargers for one season before finally signing with the Seahawks.
Seattle will head back home to host the Pittsburgh Steelers next week before battling the Arizona Cardinals on the road to wrap up the regular season.
Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here. Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network.
