Pete Carroll defends Geno Smith after Seahawks routed by Ravens
Asked how he felt Smith played in the Seahawks’ 37-3 loss, Carroll went out of his way to deflect the blame.
“I don’t think this is about Geno at all … I think this is about our football team did not answer the bell here,” Carroll said. “We couldn’t get it done. We came in here to slug it out and they did a better job than we did, all of us. When they’re rushing the passer, that’s not Geno. This is not a one-guy deal.”
In perhaps his worst game as a Seahawk, Smith completed 13 of 28 attempts for 157 yards and an interception against Baltimore’s top-ranked scoring defense. The interception was Smith’s sixth in the past four games compared to four touchdown passes in that span.
He also lost a fumble on one of the four times he was sacked by Baltimore, though Carroll said that wasn’t on the quarterback. Smith’s Total QBR of 14.4 was by far his lowest as Seattle’s starter, including his three fill-in starts in 2021.
“Not good enough,” Smith said when asked for an assessment of his play Sunday.
Including his lost fumble Sunday and another one two weeks ago against the Arizona Cardinals, Smith has committed eight turnovers in the past four games. He had 15 turnovers during his breakout season in 2022, when he made the Pro Bowl and was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year.
“Yeah, I am concerned about that,” Carroll said of Smith’s turnover funk. “I’m concerned. The one on the fumble, that’s a pass-rush deal. The interception, he threw it up and the guy that’s been making the interceptions made another one. But that’s not the direction for us to be going in. Up until this game, it took us to first place, whatever the heck we’ve been doing. And we didn’t play like a first-place team today. With those kinds of turnovers, it’s really hard to win.”
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Smith was pressured on 49% of his dropbacks Sunday, his second-highest rate of the season behind the Seahawks’ win over the New York Giants in Week 4 (50%). Three of the Ravens’ four sacks came via a standard four-man rush.
“They was making Geno move and run around,” said Jason Peters, who split time at right tackle. “We’ve got to do better. I’ve got to do better.”
Ravens safety Geno Stone notched his sixth interception of the season in the second quarter when he picked off an overthrown Smith pass that was intended for receiver Tyler Lockett.
“He overthrew it,” Carroll said. “I know Tyler didn’t think he had a chance to get to the ball, is all I know. But it wound up being a really nice play by their guy. But I wish we would have contested it. I don’t know that he could or not. I don’t know how far overthrown it was, but I know he couldn’t get to it.”
Said Lockett: “I just think it was miscommunication on both of our parts. On my part, I could have did better. But it was miscommunication.”
Smith, as he usually does, took the blame.
“It was on me,” he said. “Bad pass.”
After beating the Cleveland Browns last week on a game-winning Smith touchdown pass, the Seahawks had a half-game lead in the NFC West standings over the San Francisco 49ers, who were on their bye in Week 9. But after their offensive dud and their defense’s inability to stop any facet of the Ravens’ offense, which racked up 515 yards on Sunday, the Seahawks dropped to 5-3 with a 34-point loss that was tied for their second-most lopsided defeat since Carroll took over in 2010. The previous mark of 35 points could have been topped had the Ravens not knelt out the clock from the 4-yard line in the closing seconds.
The Seahawks’ three points were their fewest since they were shut out by the Green Bay Packers in 2021. Their 151 yards of offense were their fewest since they managed 136 in a win over the Dallas Cowboys in 2017. They went just 1-of-12 on third down against Baltimore.
“It’s tough,” Smith said. “It sucks. We were looking forward to this matchup and I just feel like we didn’t play our best football today. Obviously we made a ton of mistakes and a lot of things we need to correct. But as I always tell you, I put those things right at my own feet, and I look at myself in the mirror and say what can I do better to help this team and to help my guys? So that’s exactly what I’m going to do again. I’m never going to shy away from it and I’m going to keep on working.”