Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith has the ability to put on big performances against the Detroit Lions.

Monday evening was certainly no exception.

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Smith completed 38 of 56 passes for a career-high 395 yards, one touchdown and an interception in Seattle’s 42–29 loss to Detroit, which was the 11th most single-game passing yards in franchise history. He also ran five times for 38 yards to finish with 433 yards of total offense, sixth-most in franchise history.

And after Monday night, Smith reached the top of the NFL’s passing leaderboard. The 33-year-old veteran has thrown for 1,182 yards through the first four weeks of the season. He also ranks second in the league with a completion percentage of 72.3%.

‘I thought he was done. I thought he was accurate. I thought he had a great game,” said Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald. “I don’t know what the statistics are, but I thought he played very well.”

This marked the third time in as many seasons that Smith has gone to Detroit and torched the Lions’ defense in a back-and-forth shootout.

In 2022, Smith completed 23 of 30 passes for 320 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 48-45 win. Last year, he completed 32 of 41 passes for 328 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 37-31 overtime victory.

This time, Smith and the Seahawks didn’t leave gritty Ford Field with a win. But it certainly wasn’t for a lack of offensive production.

Seattle’s defense was missing a handful of key players due to injuries, which isn’t a good recipe for success against any opponent — especially when you’re facing one of the top Super Bowl contenders in one of the league’s most hostile environments.

But as the Seahawks’ injury-depleted defense struggled mightily against Detroit’s high-powered offense, Smith & Co. respond. Facing deficits of 21-7, 28-14 and 35-20 in the second half, Smith led three consecutive touchdown drives of 75, 80 and 70 yards to keep Seattle within striking distance.

“We don’t expect it to be easy,” Smith said. “Adversity is a good thing, especially early in the season. And so if we want to come out like we did in the second half, you can see the fight that we have with this team, the resilience that we have in this team and just the kind of guys in that locker room – the way they all fight for each other. We got back into the game and gave ourselves another chance at the end.”

Smith completed passes to 10 different players – with 24 completions to wide receivers, nine to running backs and five to tight ends. He led Seattle’s offense to 516 yards, the 12th most in franchise history. He helped the Seahawks finish with an astonishing 38 first downs, which is tied for sixth most in NFL history.

And on a night when the game could easily have gotten out of hand, Smith kept Seattle alive until the final minutes.

“Our guys fought really well in that game,” Macdonald said. “They kept going until the last second. And that is what I am most proud of now and we will stick to that. That is the foundation we have laid here and with which we want to continue.”

Where does Seattle Seahawks’ Geno Smith, off to a strong start, rank in the QB hierarchy?

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