Seahawks Pete Carroll Reveals 'Perfect Illustration' of Geno Smith Leadership

The Seattle Seahawks lost 17-13 to the Cincinnati Bengals, with Geno Smith having a poor game, but it was his ability to recognize his shortcomings that Pete Carroll loved.

The Seattle Seahawks failed against the Cincinnati Bengals in a game they shouldn't have lost. Winning all the key stats despite the obvious one (the scoreboard, 17-13), the Seahawks can feel good moving forward, having gone toe-to-toe with an AFC heavyweight.

But quarterback Geno Smith didn't have his best afternoon as he threw two interceptions, and the offense struggled in the red zone (1 of 5).

Smith took responsibility for the loss due to his poor play, and head coach Pete Carroll stated that what his quarterback did perfectly sums up who Smith is as a leader in the locker room.

“It’s a perfect illustration of leadership," Carroll. "That’s exactly what guys should do. If that’s how they feel about it, then they express it that way. The example that they display for other players is exceedingly valuable for us, so you spend time trying to deny what just happened, you get after it, and you figure it out, you get right, and you get better for it. I thought Geno (Smith) did a perfect job of that.”

While Smith's game on Sunday afternoon wasn't his best, rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba had perhaps one of his best games in his young career.

Having been a slow burn to start his NFL career, Smith-Njigba is starting to get rolling after having had an up-and-down year. His wrist injury, which set him back a bit during the preseason, played a part in this.

Carroll has praised Geno Smith's leadership after the 17-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Smith-Njigba caught four passes for 48 yards in the loss to the Bengals in what was his best return stats-wise for the year, and his coach agrees.

“Yes, by far," Carroll said. "I tried to make a point about it because I wanted him to hear it too, that he played really well in the running game, he was really clean with his assignments, we moved him around quite a bit, he came through on his catches and his plays. He did a really nice job in the game. He blocked well, threw his hands in there aggressively. I think any passing of judgement up until now was premature. He’s just getting going. We love him, and he’s going to be a really big factor for us.”

With the Seahawks dropping to 3-2 on the season, there is still plenty of room to grow for Carroll's team. The offense ranks 8th for points scored (24.8), and the defense is starting to come together as well, only conceding 21.6 points a game (ranks 18th).

For all the weapons at Smith's disposal, the one many wanted to see get going was Smith-Njigba. While it was only one game, it was against a good, playoff-caliber team.

That is now the standard for the rookie, and he will get the chance to build off his efforts against Cincinnati when the Seahawks host the Arizona Cardinals, who give up the fifth-most yards per game in the NFL (376) at Lumen Field on Sunday.