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Geno Smith delivered a strong performance in his first start for the Jets in 10 years and, in the process, has Jets fans dreaming about what could be.
Smith was accurate throughout Sunday’s 23-10 win over the Titans and managed the offense. He took deep shots but did not force any.
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“I thought he did an outstanding job,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said Monday. “Listen, there’s some things obviously that we’ve got to clean up and get better at, but man, I think he was dang-near 80 percent [79 percent] throwing the ball. He put the ball where he needed to.”
Smith went 19-for-24 for 215 yards. Even his incompletions were not bad throws. Three were plays the receiver either dropped the ball or could not secure it going to the ground. Another was a throwaway when no one was open and the final was him dirting the ball when the Titans diagnosed a screen pass.
The analytics site SumerSports had Smith at a 95.8 percent “on target” rate. ESPN ranked him fifth in QBR this week entering Monday night’s game.
Smith was conservative in the first half but opened things up in the second half. He completed a 31-yard pass to Garrett Wilson, then a 40-yard pass to Adonai Mitchell.
Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) passes the ball against the Tennessee Titans. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect “Some of those anticipated throws that he made, I mean the one to [Mitchell], the deep corner route, the ball was out of his hand, AD was still actually running his route, and that comes down to trust. That’s all that is, is trust,” Glenn said. “That’s been a work in progress from OTAs to training camp, still going into the season, and you’re starting to see that actually show up quite a bit. And not just with AD, but with Garrett too, and with all the skill players. That’s been a lot of work that’s been put in. From the offseason, those guys in Miami getting that type of work in, so I thought he did a great job.”
In the postgame locker room, Jets players were buzzing about what the offense did against the Titans and former Jets coach Robert Saleh. The Jets had 367 total yards and controlled the ball for more than 38 minutes.
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“Just seeing all those guys and Geno being able to spread the ball around the field, it’s all credit to him being able to get the ball out and making those tough passes, making them early, getting the ball out quick,” right guard Joe Tippmann said. “So all around the offense, I’m proud of what we did. The running backs Breece [Hall] and Braelon [Allen], just throwing their head in there the way they do and turning plays into positive plays no matter what.”
Smith was asked what this offense is capable of if Wilson and Mitchell have big games. He pointed out the offense has even more talent than that.
ets quarterback Geno Smith (7) looks to pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Titans. AP Photo/John Amis “I mean, that play Omar [Cooper Jr.] made on third down to get it started [leading to the first Jets touchdown], I think he broke two or three tackles,” Smith said. “We’ve got guys, we got other guys as well. Isaiah [Williams] and a bunch of guys, different tight ends and running backs, and all these guys can make plays for us. I think we should have the mindset that there is no ceilings and we’ve got to continue to get better every single day.”
A big part of the success of Smith and the entire offense was the way the Jets offensive line played. Smith took only one hit and was not sacked. They put their strength on display on a 19-play drive in the second quarter that featured 14 called runs. It wore the Titans defense down.
“Tough, violent, gritty, just ‘you’re not going to stop what we’re trying to do’ mentality,” Glenn said about the line. “And when you have an O-line of that magnitude that thinks that way, it’s hard. It allows you to apply pressure to a team, so give those guys all the credit, man. The big guys really don’t get as much credit as they need to, but that’s something I talk about a lot in our team meeting aspect of our D-line and our O-line because of the way that we ask those guys to play.”
