Geno Smith is knocking on the door of stardom. Now he must deliver in the spotlight

RENTON, Wash. — DK Metcalf was annoyed, as he often is when this topic arises. “He’s one of them because, one, of how elite the ball placement has been, and that’s led to yards after the catch,” Orlovsky said, explaining Smith’s top-five status. “The style of play that he’s had over the first three games this season warranted putting him into that group.” That said, Smith didn’t receive much love from around the league this offseason. Is this the quarterback that’s playing the best in the NFC?’ It puts them into at least having that conversation.” Two of Geno Smith’s best career games came at Ford Field in 2022 and 2023. I think that probably leads to people sitting at home thinking, ‘That wasn’t that impressive.’ “But when you watch the tape and you see him alert a play, handle the pressure, know what’s going on, subtle pocket movement to his left and throw a ball 25 yards downfield, between two humans that are 6 yards away from each other — and if he’s off by a foot, it’s an interception … you have a great appreciation for the difficulty of it.” How Smith plays Monday — and, by extension, how he’s viewed — will impact the entire team.