Jim Moore: Geno Smith salvaged the game, but the next month will define his future

As someone who advocated a move to Drew Lock at quarterback last week in Baltimore, I was mildly surprised to see the social media uproar over Geno Smith Sunday in Seattle.

There were even some audible boos at Lumen Field in the first half of the Seahawks’ game against the Commanders. Or maybe it was just a unified clamoring for Droooooo.

I’m all in for quarterback controversies, especially when the starter has scuffled for an extended period of time and the backup appears to have untapped potential.

And I guess in hindsight I understood where the fans were coming from. In the first half Smith missed several open receivers, including one on a swing pass that is a routine throw for most NFL QBs.

Smith was also on the field when the Seahawks took a delay of game penalty on a 4th-and-1 and was the culprit on a false start that sabotaged another 4th-and-1.

Much worse, Smith was called for intentional grounding with seven seconds left in the half. In the NFL, a penalty that late in the half results in a 10-second run-off, preventing the Seahawks from getting a field goal attempt.

That’s inexcusable. Smith has been around long enough to know he needs to get rid of the ball no matter what to stop the clock. He’s not a rookie anymore, far from it.

He also failed to consistency deliver on third down, continuing a season-long issue. By most metrics, he’s been the NFL’s worst QB on third down this year, and he’s mostly been bankrupt on the money down.

Former Seattle sports radio personality Dave Grosby ran a poll at halftime asking fans if Geno should be replaced in the second half, and 54 percent said yes, they wanted to see Lock.

But Pete Carroll stood by Smith just like he did in the second half in Baltimore when it made little sense at all.

Geno warranted his head coach’s faith by posting a perfect passer rating in the third quarter and leading two crucial scoring drives in the fourth quarter, going 9 of 11 for 100 yard and throwing a terrific touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett.

To me, Geno’s most admirable traits are his ability to shut out the noise and forget the last bad pass, confident he will be more accurate with his next one. He’s also accountable, never blaming anyone but himself.

In the end, the Seahawks won, which was obviously the most important thing, while Geno threw for a career high 367 yards. And after being responsible for eight turnovers in the last four games, Smith didn’t one single time give the ball to the Commanders.

Feel free to point out that Washington has one of the worst defenses in the league, but I’d respond by wondering what we’d be saying if Geno had struggled against the Commanders.

There are still reasons to be justifiably concerned about Smith, who in the big picture hasn’t looked the part of an elite quarterback since the first half of last season when he was an MVP candidate.

Questions remain. Some have been answered. He has already shown he can take the Seahawks to the playoffs. But can he be more than a one-and-done postseason player? Is he good enough to lead the Seahawks to another Suoer Bowl appearance?

In the next month we’ll find out when the Seahawks enter a stretch when they play the Eagles, Cowboys and 49ers twice.

If they go 4-0, 3-1 or even 2-2, Geno’s job security won’t be in jeopardy. Anything short of that will again prompt calls for Lock and rightly so.

Jim Moore has covered Washington’s sports scene from every angle for multiple news outlets. You can find him on Twitter @cougsgo, and on KJR-FM 93.3, where he co-hosts a sports talk show from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays.