There are likely some who watched Geno Smith's performance in Week 4 against the Detroit Lions and still think, "He's not that good." The truth is that some people will always think of Smith as a backup and nothing more. The Seattle Seahawks quarterback is so much more.
With a non-existent run game in the first half and a leaky offensive line, Smith was able to keep his team moving, picking up first down after first down. Though the score at halftime was 21-7 Detroit, if not for a DK Metcalf fumble on a promising drive, perhaps the score might have looked quite differently.
To be sure, Detroit was going to win the game. Seattle simply did not have a healthy enough defense to stop the Lions. Detroit did not kick field goals, they only scored touchdowns. Quarterback Jared Goff did not throw an incompletion and was only hit four times. The Lions deserved to win.
Seahawks' offense breaks record in Week 4 loss to the Lions
In the loss, though, Smith and the Seahawks offense broke an NFL record for first downs. Seattle had 38 of them. That many first downs had never been seen in the history of the league by a losing team. It was also the most first downs by any team in more than ten years.
The offense also got 516 total yards and held the ball for a bit over eight minutes longer than Detroit. The argument could be made that this was Seattle's best offensive performance of the season against a good Lions defense that had been stout against the run. In the second half alone, Seattle gained 115 yards rushing and 339 yards in total.
Week 4 was certainly not one that Seahawks fans will fondly remember for a long time. The game might have been lost before it was even played, as the team was without Boye Mafe, Leonard Williams, Uchenna Nwosu, and Byron Murphy II, and also lost Julian Love in the first half. There was hardly any way to stop Detroit, great scheme or not.
But 12s should know that the offense under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb looks like it will be quite good and will only be held back by a not-great offensive line. Seattle might make a run at the postseason this season because of Geno Smith. He's playing like a quarterback who should make his third-straight Pro Bowl.