Seattle Seahawks QB Geno Smith Nominated For FedEx Air Player of Week 2

Setting a new career-high for completions and throwing for over 320 yards, Geno Smith led the Seahawks to a thrilling overtime win in Foxboro.

Sep 15, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) throws against the New England Patriots during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Turning in one of his most prolific passing performances in a 23-20 overtime win over the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith has been nominated for FedEx Air Player of Week honors for Week 2.

Despite having five dropped passes by receivers in the second half of Sunday's victory, Smith completed a single-game career-best 33 pass attempts, threw for an NFL-high 327 yards for Week 2, and tossed a 56-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf orchestrating Seattle's offense in Foxboro. Continuing to dominate in the clutch, he also engineered his NFL-high ninth game-winning drive over the past two seasons in overtime, completing five out of six passes for 42 yards to set up kicker Jason Myers for a 31-yard field goal.

Per Pro Football Focus, Smith received pressure from New England's defense on 16 of his 48 drop backs on Sunday, tied for the sixth-most among quarterbacks in Week 2. His 2.49 seconds to throw per drop back average ranked 28th out of 32 quarterbacks for the week as well.

Demonstrating masterful pocket presence and movement, however, Smith withstood that immense pressure by completing nine out of 12 passes for 104 yards, averaging 8.7 yards per attempt, and posting a 107.0 passer rating, ranking in the top 10 in all three categories. He also had two Big Time Throws, tied for the most among quarterbacks in PFF's data for the week.

Running Ryan Grubb's offense with great command and confidence, per PFF charting, Smith burned the Patriots when they sent five or more rushers at him on blitzes on Sunday, torching the opposition with 17 completions on 21 attempts for 206 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers would have been even better if not for a pair of drops that came on pass plays where he was blitzed, and he still posted a fantastic 81 percent completion rate and led all passers in yardage facing such pressure by a whopping 72 yards.

Along with Smith, Arizona's Kyler Murray also received a nomination for FedEx Air Player of the Week. The NFC West division rival threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns while posting a perfect 158.3 passer rating in a blowout win over the Rams on Sunday. Fans can vote for their selections for Air and Ground Players of the Week here.