'Amazing!' Geno Smith Viral Pass Impresses Seahawks' DK Metcalf, Pete Carroll

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith continued his strong run of form last Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, headlined by a now-viral completion to tight end Noah Fant.

The Seattle Seahawks are now five games into the new season, and quarterback Geno Smith still hasn't written back to his doubters.

Thrust back into an established starting role for the first time since 2014 - when he was a 23-year-old in his second professional season - Smith leads the NFL in completion percentage (75.w percent) and ranks third in yards per attempt (8.3), fourth in quarterback rating (74.6) and seventh in touchdown passes (nine).

Smith, now 32, got off to a slow start, as Seattle's offense endured a six-quarter stretch with no touchdowns following a pair in the first half of the season opener. However, he's found his stride in the last three games, throwing for over 900 yards and seven touchdowns while completing nearly 72 percent of his passes.

Beyond the statistical numbers, Smith has made a handful of eye-catching throws of late, including a cross-body throw on the move to tight end Noah Fant, just past the outstretched arms of New Orleans Saints corner Paulson Adebo.

As great as his two touchdown throws to Tyler Lockett were, this throw from Geno Smith to Noah Fant jumps out as my favorite from Sunday.

Rolling out to his left, throwing off platform, and makes a perfect throw just over the hands of defender for 32 yards. pic.twitter.com/dSNkPqybEW

— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) October 11, 2022

The throw has since gone viral on social media, as the rest of the league has developed a newfound appreciation for Smith's arm talent. However, it took mere seconds for the Seahawks' coaching staff to recognize the difficulty of Smith's pass.

“We went pretty crazy about it when it happened in the game, but that’s beautiful football," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "It’s really cool that Noah, I remember earlier, it might’ve been preseason, he had a ball on the sidelines where he didn’t get his feet inbounds. He’s had a couple of different chances to do that for us and it’s good to see that he has improved there.”

The in-house praise for Smith's throw didn't stop at Carroll, though. All-Pro receiver DK Metcalf, who had five receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown, dubbed the throw "unbelievable" before revealing that he didn't initially appreciate it enough.

“I didn’t know it was like that until I watched it on film and then on social media," said Metcalf. "It was an amazing throw is all I got to say. It was an amazing throw.”

The play - a bootleg pass, not a scramble - went exactly by design, per Carroll. Seattle's confidence in Smith to make that throw in a tight window is exactly why his next opponent - the Arizona Cardinals - believes the veteran signal caller has performed like a top-5 player at the position this year.

Despite entering the campaign with low outside expectations, Smith has enjoyed a breakout age-32 season. Should he continue making throws like the one to Fant, his critics will be left waiting for a considerable amount of time until he ultimately decides to write back.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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