The Seahawks offense was relatively pathetic until garbage time against the Bears last night, raising more doubts about the future of their passing attack in the post-Russell Wilson era.
Geno Smith had an opportunity to seal the deal and effectively win the team’s QB1 job, but he didn’t do much to impress in the first half and also suffered a bruise knee. After the game, coach Pete Carroll told reporters that Smith banged his knee but could have returned to the game if needed.
QB updates:
— #Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told reporters QB Geno Smith banged his knee, but could have returned.
— Drew Lock was "really sick" with COVID, per Carroll. He can exit the protocol on Sunday, and the thought was Lock would start in W3, but if he's not healthy…— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 19, 2022
In his time on the field Smith went 10/18 for just 112 yards, no touchdowns and a 74.3 passer rating. While he didn’t do anything to really secure his position as the leader in the QB1 battle, context is important and truthfully Smith doesn’t deserve much of the blame for his team’s offensive struggles against Chicago.
For one thing, Seattle’s receivers let him down over and over by dropping catchable passes, also a theme in last week’s loss to Pittsburgh. While Smith generally got quality protection from his offensive line he also had to deal with several false start penalties, including four from rookie left tackle Charles Cross. That made it very difficult for Smith to build a drive and the same would have been true for most NFL quarterbacks.
Smith is still the most-logical choice to start Week 1 against Wilson and the Broncos and time is running out for Drew Lock to prove otherwise. There’s only one preseason game left on the schedule and Lock is currently unwell.
