Seahawks' Geno Smith sends warning to NFL after win over Browns
Quarterback Geno Smith certainly wasn't lacking confidence after his Seattle Seahawks notched a come-from-behind 24-20 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday that improved Seattle to 5-2 on the season.
"If you look at our roster, player for player, I mean, I think we could match up with anybody," Smith told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. "Obviously, it’s a work in progress. I wouldn’t quite say we’re there yet. But we’re getting there. There’s a lot of things we got to do better and execute at, and it starts directly with me. So, yeah, if I go out there and play up to my standard, up to my capabilities, then we are one of the best teams in football. We got the defense, we got the coaching, we got the offensive playmakers and we got to the line to do it, and our special teams are great."
The Browns were without starting quarterback Deshaun Watson in Seattle because of an injury in his right (throwing) shoulder but nevertheless held a 20-17 lead late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's matchup. In the game's final minute, Smith connected with rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a nine-yard touchdown that ultimately propelled the Seahawks to first place in the NFC West standings.
The San Francisco 49ers lost three straight games heading into their bye and seem to have worrisome issues on both sides of the football. While OddsChecker listed the 49ers as the betting favorites at -235 odds to win the division title when all is said and done as of early Monday evening, Smith suggested nobody should sleep on the Seahawks as it pertains to the second half of the season.
"We’re resilient, and we got the right coaches," Smith told Breer. "We got the right guys in the locker room. We got the right amount of leadership. We got everything we need to be successful, and, when the game is not going our way, nobody panics. Like I said, it’s a roller coaster. My job is not to ride that roller coaster."
According to ESPN stats, Smith went into Monday night ranked 13th in the NFL among qualified players with a 60.0 adjusted QBR and 15th with a 91.1 passer rating for the season. He tossed nine touchdown passes and six interceptions over Seattle's first seven games.
Seattle next plays at the 6-2 Baltimore Ravens this coming Sunday. OddsChecker listed the Seahawks as five-and-a-half-point underdogs for that contest as of early Monday night.
More must-reads: