Seahawks Don't Want to 'Take Playmaker Out of the Player' in Geno Smith

Even as turnovers pile up, the Seahawks remain steadfast in their trust of quarterback Geno Smith.

Nov 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) looks to pass against the Arizona Cardinals during the first quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Turning their season around, the Seattle Seahawks are riding a two-game winning streak with both wins coming against talented division rivals, now sitting atop a turbulent NFC West at 6-5.

Even still, the starting quarterback in Seattle is under criticism. Frankly, Geno Smith has had doubters his entire career and even as he has a respectable 24-22 record as the Seahawks main man. He had the unfortunate task of following up the greatest era of Seahawks football, with the only Super Bowl-winning quarterback in franchise history, Russell Wilson, leaving town.

To Smith's credit, he uses the doubters as fuel. That led to an incredible opening act as Seattle's starter in 2022, winning Comeback Player of the Year. He earned his first Pro Bowl bid at 32 years old and even garnered some back-ballot MVP votes. Last season, he led the entire NFL in fourth quarter comebacks and game-winning drives.

Still, Smith faces questions. Some of it is justified, as he is prone to a critical mistake or two in key situations. He currently leads the NFL with 12 interceptions. While some of those might be "flukey" or not his fault, it's hard to ignore the volume of his passes that are put in harm's way.

Most recently, Smith has throw six interceptions in his last three games. Four of those picks came while Seattle was in enemy territory. Three of them came inside of the red zone. Not all turnovers are created equal, and those hurt the worst given the field position.

However, it's hard to argue with the ends of the last two games either, even if the means to get there were not pretty. Smith is a gun-slinger. A risk-taker. A playmaker. That mentality can lead to frustrating consequences when the risk goes bad.

You certainly won't hear head coach Mike Macdonald publicly telling Geno Smith to dial it back.

We got his back and a lot of the things that make Geno a great player is his playmaking
ability. So there is a fine line of, [he] arguably won us the game with zero-checks and extending plays and commanding the line and giving him autonomy to do what he feels he needs to do in that moment. So there's a balance there. You never want to take the playmaker out of the player. So making some decisions to protect the ball in those moments, yeah, he could probably be a little more careful in those situations, but there's a fine line there.

- Mike Macdonald, Head Coach

The Seahawks have benefitted from Smith's style of play on several occasions. He is willing to take risks that other quarterbacks simply are not. He is 10th in the NFL in pass attempts of at least 20 yards. Pro Football Focus defines a Big Time Throw as "a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window." Seattle's signal caller has 20 Big Time Throws, which is fifth-most in the entire NFL.

Of course, there's the other side. As mentioned, he is responsible for a league high in interceptions. However, his turnover-worthy play rate is 2.4 percent, which is tied with Patrick Mahomes for 11th-best in the NFL. Yes, some of those turnovers have come at gut-punching times. Yet, overall, Smith makes up for it with some big or smart plays down the stretch, and his interception numbers may stem from the pure volume of passes he's being asked to throw without a complementary run game.

At 34 years old, and in his 12th year in the NFL, it's unlikely that Smith makes wholesale changes to the way he plays the game. More risks will be taken, for better or for worse. If he can eliminate the soul-crushing turnovers in the red zone, however, this Seahawks team can ride him into late January with his courage and arm talent.

More Seahawks News

Closing Thoughts on Seahawks' Week 12 Win Over Cardinals

Jets Confirm Aaron Rodgers as Starter for Week 13 vs. Seahawks

Leonard Williams 'Leading the Charge' in Seahawks' Defensive Resurgence

Rapid Reaction: Leonard Williams, Seahawks Feast on Cardinals in 16-6 Win