Seattle Seahawks: Geno Smith won’t be the problem
Andrew Elderbaum
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Russell Wilson is out for at least a month, and the Seattle Seahawks are 2-3. Is the season over? Our Andrew Elderbaum thinks so, but not for the reasons you might think.
The Seattle Seahawks lost to Los Angeles Thursday night in a game that shouldn’t have been as close as the final score implied. But it wasn’t due to backup quarterback Geno Smith.
Replacing RW3
Russell Wilson came out of the game in the fourth quarter due to a dislocated finger when his hand hit Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, following through on a pass attempt. When 12s saw Geno Smith enter the game, most of them thought, “that’s it, we’re done.” As it turned out, they were wrong.
Smith led impressive drives for scores, had a few Wilson-like escapes, and the offense ran smoothly under the second-stringer. Number 7 was everything Seahawks fans hoped for in a backup quarterback, and he gave the team a chance at an unlikely victory.
After the Seattle Seahawks defense made a huge (and unlikely) third down stop, Smith had a chance to lead the team on a drive for the win. Unfortunately, Tyler Lockett tripped and one of the most anti-climactic interceptions I can remember sealed the game. That was it. The Seahawks are now 2-3, and their franchise quarterback is out for the foreseeable future.
What happens now?
So what does Smith’s impressive performance mean for the team while Russ recovers from surgery? In all likelihood, the offense is going to hold its own. 12s aren’t going to see moonball bombs that Russ threw several times a game or the same explosive plays.
What you might see is a more boring but efficient offense, and that’s a good thing. Seattle has become an all-or-nothing team under Wilson. With him out, we may finally see them run Shane Waldron’s actual offense.
The timeline for Russ’s recovery is somewhere between 4-8 weeks. The team’s next three games are winnable, even with Smith running the offense. There’s also a bye and a likely loss to Green Bay regardless of who is at QB. So for five weeks, playing without Wilson shouldn’t be an insurmountable obstacle. In fact, I think there’s a much more likely culprit to take Seattle down.
GENO SMITH FINDS DK METCALF FOR THE TOUCHDOWN.
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/jJAnv2qh8L
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 8, 2021