Smith, for his part, isn’t focused on how often he’ll be asked to throw the ball this season, but rather on making the most of each of those opportunities to help the offense. Like fans, coaches and just about everyone else, he knows that a more balanced attack is better in the long run, but when a game requires him to make more than 40 throws, as he has in three of the last four games, then he is up for the challenge grown.

“I think that’s just how the game goes sometimes,” Smith said. “I don’t sit out there counting all the reps, I try to make the reps count. So I’m just going to go out and do my job and put us in the best position to make plays and make plays. “Obviously we won the game in the fourth quarter, we were trying to score a touchdown in about two minutes and then Getting into field goal range I think that’s crucial in this situation, but of course we have to continue to fight for the balance that we love.

Not only is Smith on pace to set career highs in these passing categories, he’s also just shy of his 34 mark^Th birthday and shoots the ball more effectively than in his 12-year career. After setting the longest run of his career with a 34-yard touchdown in Week 1, he reached a career high of 72 yards on four carries in a single game last weekend. And with 146 yards on 20 rushing attempts, Smith is on pace to surpass his career-high of 366 rushing yards set in 2022.

“That’s what I want to continue to do,” Smith said of the running portion of his game. “I want to continue to take advantage when teams are playing us man and they don’t put a (QB) spy out there. If they don’t maintain their rush lanes, and I think it helps our offense to get out there and get extra yards. It also puts a little more strain on the D-coordinators and their goals. I’ve always tried. I try to choose the right time for it. But if there’s a lead, I’ll go.

At some point this season – the Seahawks hope it happens on Thursday – they will start running the ball more consistently and balancing their offense. That would take some of the pressure off Smith, it would make things easier on an offensive line that has had to do a lot of pass blocking in recent weeks, and like any good running game, it would bring an extra level of physicality to the team’s offense. But if the Seahawks need to focus on the passing game to take the lead, Smith has shown through the first five games of this season that he’s more than up to the challenge, even with a lot placed on his shoulders.

“He’s tough, man. He’s an absolute warrior,” Grubb said. “He’s a passionate, passionate player. I thought this week, probably more than any other week, it was very easy for him to let frustration control his game. I think that’s what you see from a veteran quarterback, a guy who… “He can still be passionate, be himself and find a way to get back to room temperature to make good decisions and keep us on At the end of the game you still have a chance to win. That’s one of the things that really impresses me about Geno, just his ability to get things going again, motivate the guys on the sidelines, bring everyone together and try to orchestrate a winning streak.”