When the Seahawks opted to go with Geno Smith as their starting quarterback this season, there were not a lot of people predicting big things for their offense.
Smith had a strong opener in a win over the Broncos, however, and he remained solid in a pair of losses before playing his best game of the year against the Lions this Sunday. Smith was 23-of-30 for 320 yards and two touchdowns to pilot the Seahawks to a 48-45 shootout win over the Lions on the road.
Head coach Pete Carroll said in his postgame press conference that “we should have carried him off” after the win and Smith, who also ran for 49 yards and a touchdown, made it clear that he does not share anyone’s surprise about how well he has been playing so far this season.
“No. I can play better,” Smith said. “I have not exceeded my expectations. I can play a lot better, just playing better.”
It’s hard to imagine Smith playing much better than he did on Sunday, but the Seahawks will happily accept that kind of performance in the weeks to come.