Getty Seahawks QB Geno Smith and head coach Pete Carroll
The Seattle Seahawks didn’t make it easy in Week 10 against the Washington Commanders. They were nearly touchdown favorites at home and let the visiting team hang around for so long the game was tied at 26 with 52 seconds left in the game.
However, quarterback Geno Smith led a 7-play, 50-yard drive to set up a game-winning Jason Meyers field goal, and after the game head coach Pete Carroll couldn’t say enough good things about his embattled QB.
Pete Carroll Calls Geno Smith ‘Perfect’
After Smith led the Seahawks on a game-winning drive to beat the Commanders in Week 10, Carroll took to the postgame press conference podium and couldn’t have more nice things to say about his quarterback.
“I thought he was almost perfect. All but — maybe he was perfect,” Carroll gushed about his starting quarterback. “The throws he had to come up with, the poise, the cadence, running the club, the whole thing. He was perfect. I thought he was just exactly what we could hope we could see in him. I’m sure he had great numbers today. Must have had terrific numbers but more than that, he just came through just like we’re counting on.”
Without digging into the stat sheet before stepping to the microphones, Carroll nailed it about how good Smith’s stats were on Sunday.
The Seattle QB’s final box score read 31-of-47 for a career-high 369 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. It was a far cry from just a week ago when Smith had one of the worst games of his Seahawks career, going 13-of-28 for 157 yards with no touchdowns and an interception in a 37-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
It’s not a shock Smith had a great game against the Commanders. Washington was one of the worst pass defenses in the league coming into this game. They had given up the fourth-most passing yards in the NFL this season (2,274) and were 21st in pass rush and 16th in coverage, according to their PFF grades.
And the best news for Smith and the Seahawks offense after their Week 10 Commanders victory is the team they are playing in Week 11 might be worse.
Smith, Seahawks’ Passing Game Could Flourish Again in Week 11
As poor as the Commanders’ pass defense is, the Los Angeles Rams might be worse.
Geno Smith, Pete Carroll, and the Seahawks travel to LA in Week 11 to take on their NFC West rival Rams, and if the teams hope to keep the wins rolling in, they’ll likely have to rely on Smith and the passing game once again.
Through nine weeks of football, the Rams allowed the 13th-most passing yards (1,955) and came in ranked 14th in pass rush and dead last, 32nd, in coverage with a 40.0 PFF grade.
Those numbers have to have Smith, Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba licking their lips.
And these players stepping up in Week 11 is crucial to the Seahawks’ season, as this matchup is a must-win heading into what will be the season0decidign gauntlet of Weeks 12 through 15. In those four games, the Seahawks will face the San Francisco 49ers twice, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Philadelphia Eagles.
It will take an “almost perfect” effort by Smith to get through those games with a winning record, but if he can do it, this team will truly be big-time contenders.