Dome Sweet Dome? Seattle Seahawks QB Geno Smith Looking to Stay Hot at Ford Field

Historically, Geno Smith has played his best football away from the elements in domed stadiums, but Ford Field has been an especially special road venue for him.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) looks to pass against the Detroit Lions during first half action Sunday, Sept.17 2023. / Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

RENTON, Wash. - Blessed with the privilege of now being in his 12th NFL season, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith isn't in the business of making excuses, and he's certainly never blamed the elements for his performance when he has made mistakes or endured a rough performance.

But like most - if not all - quarterbacks would likely say in agreement, Smith doesn't have an issue acknowledging that he prefers throwing the football in a dome without having to worry about or compensate for wind, rain, snow, sleet, or any other weather conditions. Specifically, he has loved slinging the pigskin in a hostile road environment at Ford Field, where he has led the Seahawks to upset road wins over the Lions each of the past two seasons.

Looking to continue an undefeated 3-0 start with another victory, Smith will lead Seattle into Detroit once again as the underdog on Monday Night Football, eager for the opportunity to play the spoiler in in a stadium where he has enjoyed tremendous success despite being one of the loudest venues in the NFL.

"I think most quarterbacks are really good inside and for me, it's no different," Smith remarked on Thursday prior to practice. "Just playing anywhere for me is good, but I think when there's no weather and the type of spin I get on the ball, it just allows the ball to just float nicely through the thin air inside the dome. So for me, I don't really think about it that much, but obviously the numbers are the numbers and hopefully we can continue that."

Whether watching him on film or breaking down statistics, the numbers don't lie either - Smith has elevated his game to another stratosphere when playing in dome stadiums as much as any quarterback in the sport.

Since entering the league as a second-round pick with the Jets in 2013, Smith has only played in eight games in a dome, or exactly 10 percent of his career games, in part due to never playing for a team that had a home dome stadium. But while it may seem like a small sample size, the statistical discrepancies between his performance in a dome versus outdoor stadiums and stadiums with a retractable roof have been beyond stark.

With six of his eight career games playing in a dome coming since replacing Russell Wilson as Seattle's starter in 2022, Smith has been near perfect in controlled playing environments, masterfully firing passes with precision to all three levels. Along with completing 73.3 percent of his pass attempts, he has thrown for 2,014 yards - a hair over 250 yards per game - to go with 16 touchdowns and only two interceptions while posting a gaudy 119.7 passer rating.

While he has played at his best in domed stadiums in general, Smith has been especially dangerous at Ford Field, however, throwing for 648 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions with a 77.5 percent completion rate orchestrating a pair of victories over the Lions each of the past two years.

Two seasons ago, Smith completed 23 out of 30 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns as Seattle held on for a 48-45 shootout win in Detroit, somehow managing to avoid being sacked once in a back-and-forth, high scoring affair while outdueling Jared Goff. Last September, he somehow outdid that showing, linking up on 31 out of 42 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns, once again averaging eight or more yards per attempt as he opened up the skies in Motown.

Due to his competitive nature, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Smith relishes the opportunity to play in loud, hostile road environments such as Detroit. Aside from the easy conditions for throwing in a dome, unlike some players, he soaks up the energy of the passionate home crowd, which he believes has had a positive influence on his excellent numbers at Ford Field.

"I love it. I think it tests your will, it tests your communication," Smith explained. "It's super loud. I feel like I'm screaming in the huddle just to get the play out and then at the line of scrimmage, voice inflection, making sure all the guys can hear me and then it's something about those environments that just kind of charge you up, just makes you want to go out there and perform and we really look forward to any opportunity, but especially those great road games in environments like Detroit."

Before taking the field on Monday night, Smith isn't going to be putting much stock into how he and the Seahawks have fared against the Lions in those past two contests, as they have no bearing on how things will unfold in this third rematch. Much has changed for both teams since he diced up Detroit's defense last September, including a new play caller for the Seahawks in Ryan Grubb and a mostly overhauled Lions secondary with three new starters at cornerback in Carlton Davis, rookie Terrion Arnold, and Amik Robertson.

As should be expected, Smith anticipates Detroit's coaching staff has been taking a deep dive into last year's game as well as the first three games this year with Grubb at the controls looking to craft a game plan to take away the explosives that hurt them a year ago. Both teams currently rank in the top 10 in scoring defense, setting the stage for this latest battle to be far different than the offensive slugfests from the previous two seasons.

While playing in a dome certainly will be welcomed by the quarterback, Smith and his Seahawks teammates will have to execute at a much higher level than they have in the first three weeks, including cutting down on penalties and shoring up spotty pass protection, to keep the good vibes rolling in the Motor City against a great football team playing in front of their rabid fans.

"I think we just played well, execution, but none of that stuff can really matter going into this game. It's about what we do when we get out there on Monday. I think that we can look back at that and say, 'Hey, we've done some great things, but they're watching that as well.' I know they're going to come in and they're going to be ready to kind of put a stop to that. So it's going to be a great challenge for us. Those two games in the past, they mean nothing. It's about what we do Monday night."