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Geno Smith was the hero the Seattle Seahawks needed in Week 1, but after a brutal loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, head coach Pete Carroll says the team needs to "trust" their quarterback and give him "more opportunities" to succeed.
Smith led the Seahawks to victory over former quarterback Russell Wilson in a 17-16 win over the Denver Broncos, but Seattle’s offensive struggles were on full display in their 27-7 loss to the Niners.
Drake Jackson, #95 of the San Francisco 49ers, pressures Geno Smith, #7 of the Seattle Seahawks, during the game at Levi's Stadium on Sept. 18, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. The 49ers defeated the Seahawks 27-7. (Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
"Look at what we’re up against here. We have that game last week, and so we have to deal with the game as we go towards the San Francisco game – coming off a big win. OK, now we go down there and play like garbage in San Francisco and now we gotta do it from the other end of the spectrum and get ourselves back the other way," Carroll said Monday on Seattle Sports 710 AM.
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"I carried that game, that was a big win, and we had a lot of fun in that [game]. I need to do better too. You know, if I could feel it, then certainly their feeling it as well and we needed to overcome with good play, and we didn’t."
Smith played well in both games, completing 80% or more of his passes and throwing for over 195 yards, but Seattle’s offense failed to make anything spectacular happen on the field.
Geno Smith, #7 of the Seattle Seahawks, throws the ball during warmups before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on Sept. 18, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Carroll seemingly suggested that the offense has been playing conservatively in their first season without Wilson – and that that needs to change.
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"After two weeks of watching Geno play, we don’t need to hold him back at all. I think Geno’s got his game ready to go. We need to trust him, and we need to maybe give him a few more opportunities and stuff," he said.
"We’ve been pretty solidly conservative, counting on running the football, and when we didn’t run the football then OK, we didn’t have much of a mix that we needed. We can do better with that. And whether that’s right or wrong, that’s not the point. The point is that we need to keep expanding. We have too many explosive avenues to go to, and we’ve got to make sure that these guys show up."
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, #7, reacts following a play against the Denver Broncos during the second quarter at Lumen Field in Seattle Sept. 12, 2022. (Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports)
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When pushed further, Carroll explained that they need to make better use of star wideout DK Metcalf farther down the field and involve their tight ends more.
"We know that they can play, and we love the heck out of them. We just got to make sure that’s more of the attack – we have it, it just hasn’t really shown up."
Seattle returns home on Sunday where they will face off against the Atlanta Falcons who are seeking their first win of the season after tough losses to the New Orleans Saints and the defending Super Bowl champions.
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