3 bold predictions for Geno Smith in Seahawks Week 1 game against Broncos

Geno Smith has a lot to work for in 2024. The quarterback has numerous weapons in which to succeed and he should have a better scheme to work in as well. Former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron is gone. New OC Ryan Grubb is in.

However, Seattle's offense hasn't been the issue in the last couple of years. The defense has been. Smith was seventh in Total QBR in 2022 and last year he led the NFL in game-winning drives and fourth quarter comebacks.

Still, to earn an extension after 2025, Smith needs to prove he can lead Grubb's offense to success now. He is capable and has proven he can be good. He just needs to prove it again.

Three bold predictions for Seahawks QB Geno Smith in Week 1 against the Broncos

Geno Smith will throw four touchdown passes

Two seasons ago when the Seahawks began the season against Denver, the Broncos had a fantastic defense that was pretty wasted as the offense was no good. Last year, Denver dipped quite a bit defensively. This year? Well, who knows? The expectation is that Denver will have a defense that ranks in the middle of the league in terms of efficiency.

The Broncos have one elite player in the secondary, Patrick Surtain II, but otherwise, Denver might still be figuring out who they are as they rebuilt nearly every part except for Surtain. That kind of newness is something Smith and his elite receivers can exploit. Plus, Denver's linebackers are not good in coverage.

This is especially true as new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb will be trying to kick off his NFL debut by making a statement. His offense is built on getting receivers open deep and Smith throws one of the best deep balls in the league. He will get his first career four-touchdown game and have a couple of fantastic deep throws to DK Metcalf.

Geno Smith will complete passes to seven different Seattle Seahawks

There is a chance that Seattle is without tight end Noah Fant which is a shame. Fant was underused in former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron's scheme, especially as Fant has the speed and athletic ability to be a downfield threat. That said, tight end Brady Russell has had an excellent preseason and could be the receiving threat that Seattle needs at the position with Fant out.

Fant was clearly far from the only receiving threat Seattle had, however. Geno Smith will have DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, all the running backs, and anyone else he hopes will catch a pass. That Seattle has so many weapons is only going to stress Denver's defense more.

Smith will spread the ball around, and though Metcalf will have the most receiving yards, JSN will have the most catches. Smith will keep the offense efficient by forcing Denver to guess who he is throwing toward next.

Geno Smith will run for 50-plus yards

One of the more underappreciated aspects of Smith's game has been his ability to pick up yards with his legs. His average yards per carry in his career is a good 4.6. The issue with 2023 was that the quarterback did not seem to run enough. Was this done by design in Waldron's offense or did Smith simply not make good decisions on when to take off?

The latter would not seem to be true because in Week 18 of last year, Smith kept drives alive by taking off when no receiver was open. In Ryan Grubb's offense, Smith will have more freedom to do what needs to be done. If the field is open in front of him, he should take off and he likely will.

The guess is that Smith will feel a lot more freedom in 2024 and he will run more often. In his rookie season of 2013, he had six rushing touchdowns. He won't get there this year, but he might get to four. Grubb is going to find any way he can to create chaos for a defense, much more than Waldron, and Smith's running ability will stress a defense.

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