In the days leading up to the Seahawks’ Week 17 home game against the Jets, quarterback Geno Smith downplayed any personal feelings about facing the team who drafted him because it mattered more that Seattle was still vying for a postseason berth.
Smith’s message wasn’t any different after Sunday’s game. He threw a pair of touchdowns in the first half of a 23-6 win that keeps the Seahawks in the hunt for Week 18 and said that remained the only thing on his mind.
“Honestly, it doesn’t mean anything, outside of the fact that we gave ourselves another chance to go to the playoffs,” Smith said. “I’m actually grateful for being drafted to the NFL by the Jets, and although things weren’t perfect there, there were some good times. There are some people still there I hold dear to my heart. I have a lot of good relationships in New York. It was just another game for me. Good seeing some old friends and some people that we play with.”
The Seahawks need to win against the Rams and have the Lions beat the Packers in order to extend their season. Smith acknowledged that isn’t where the Seahawks want to be after holding control of their fate earlier in the season, “but all we can do is control what we can control” by getting a win and letting the chips fall where they may.