Can Geno Smith prove his worth, help Seahawks break losing streak to 49ers?

Eric Williams

NFL Reporter

Geno Smith is aware that to be the man, you must beat the man.

For Smith and the Seattle Seahawks, that means figuring out a way to defeat the San Francisco 49ers, the reigning NFC conference champs and Super Bowl runners-up, in a prime-time game on Thursday night.

The Seahawks lead the NFC West at 3-2 but have lost two straight games, while the 49ers are 2-3 and have lost three of their past four. 

San Francisco, however, has won five straight games against Seattle. And the games haven’t been close, with the Seahawks losing by an average of 15 points per game. A big reason for that is because Seattle has averaged only 11.6 offensive points per game in the five losses.

Smith is 0-4 (including postseason) as a starter against San Francisco. In those four matchups, he has completed 72% of his passes for 868 yards, with three touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s been sacked 14 times and has posted an 86.9 passer rating. 

Those aren’t exactly exemplary numbers for the two-time Pro Bowler. 

“They got playmakers all around the defense,” Smith told reporters this week. “They play together. They fly around, they’ve got swagger. They’re proven, they believe in themselves. They come right in, they’re not going to try and trick you as far as the scheme goes. They’re going to line up and force you to beat them for 60 minutes.”

So far the season, Smith has completed 72% of his passes for an NFL-high 1,466 yards — including a league-high 385 yards in the fourth quarter — with five touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s also been sacked 18 times. Only Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson has been sacked more (26). 

For Smith, Thursday’s contest provides an opportunity to show he belongs in the conversation as one of the best signal-callers in the league. In the second year of a three-year, $75 million contract, Smith would like to earn a contract extension. 

Playing well against teams like San Francisco…

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Publish date : 2024-10-10 14:37:21

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