Bumpus: Numbers that show why Seahawks ‘can count on’ Geno

Geno Smith was the talk of the NFL world in 2022 when he started every game and led the Seattle Seahawks to a playoff berth.

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Smith led the NFL in completion percentage, was top 10 in yards and touchdowns and won NFL Comeback Player of the Year in his first season as a full-time starter in seven years.

In 2023, Smith was still very solid for the Seahawks, but his numbers did dip as he went from a 69.8% completion rate in 2022 to 64.7%. He also threw 10 less touchdowns (30 to 20) with two more interceptions (11 to nine) than the previous season. Smith missed two games due to injury, as well.

The Seahawks kept Smith on the roster two weeks ago, which fully guaranteed his salary for 2024. The team later restructured his bonuses to create more salary cap space for this coming season, another move that signals he should be back with the Hawks in 2024.

When looking back on Smith’s 2023 season, former NFL receiver Michael Bumpus found some numbers that caught his eye, sharing a few interesting statistics that highlight the ups and downs of Smith’s 2023 season during Wednesday’s Bump and Stacy on Seattle Sports.

“He played his best football when his football team is behind,” Bumpus said. “When they were losing games and behind (by eight or less) points, he completed 64% of his passes and he had 11 touchdowns. When they were tied, he’s completing 76% of his passes and he has six touchdowns. Geno plays his best football when his team is behind.”

You can check out Smith’s detailed “splits” from 2023 right here.

On the flip side, Smith’s numbers when the Seahawks had the lead in 2023 were more lackluster.

“This is where it changes a little bit: he only completed 56% of his passes and he had three touchdowns and three interceptions (with the lead),” Bumpus said. “So Geno likes the pressure is what this is telling me. He feels the pressure and he does his thing.”

That’s further evidenced by Smith’s lone overtime appearance this year when he completed 6 of 7 passes in a Seattle win over Detroit. He also put up big numbers in the fourth quarter this past season, especially when the games were close.

“In the fourth quarter, he’s thrown seven touchdowns when they are within seven points,” Bumpus said. “I look at this situation and I go yes, Geno is not perfect, there are some places he can get better. But there’s one thing to be sure, and that is if there is an opportunity to win the game, most likely he is going to go ahead or he’s going to produce and throw footballs and be on point.”

Bumpus has “gone to bat” for Smith quite a bit while others have suggested the Seahawks should try and move on from the veteran quarterback. Bump hopes to see Smith start for the Hawks come Week 1.

“I think that he should be the quarterback next year and give him another year to prove his worth on this football team,” he said.

That’s especially because Smith’s numbers late in close games are so good.

“It’s all about situations. That’s what football is all about,” Bumpus said. “He’s great in the first quarter, he’s great in the fourth (quarter) and overtime, he’s great when his football team is losing. He doesn’t really feel the pressure or he doesn’t let the pressure get to him. So if there’s anything you can count on, it’s Geno Smith late in the game at least keeping the team afloat.”

Listen to the full second hour of Wednesday’s Bump and Stacy at this link or in the player near the top of this story.

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