Geno Smith has to be perfect or some people will continue to dislike him. The fact is, he was fantastic for much of 2024 and even the two years before that. The Seattle Seahawks quarterback leads the NFL in passing yards this season and led the league in game-winning drives last year.

Yet some will always doubt him. That’s been the case this season, although it’s one of the most positive aspects of why Seattle was 3-2 against the San Francisco 49ers entering Week 6. In Week 2, for example, Smith did not throw passes that were deemed uncatchable by his Seattle teammates.

However, Smith’s interception in the first quarter against the 49ers was a terrible pass that ended a promising Seahawks drive. He threw a covered Tyler Lockett wide enough for 49ers safety Malik Mustapha to come over and intercept it. It was the first interception by a San Francisco defensive back this season.

Because of Seattle’s porous defense this season, Smith and the offense have been forced to be extremely efficient. This is one of the reasons why they lost two games in a row. Smith played well, but the defense was atrocious.

Still, great quarterbacks play great in big games, and the 49ers’ game has become extremely important to Seattle early in the season. Just three games ago, the team had a two-game lead in the NFC West. That could now disappear. Seattle’s defense cannot control the 49ers’ offense, as the Seahawks have failed to do so in their last five games against San Francisco. Smith once again had to be almost flawless.

Unfortunately, he ended a likely scoring drive with a poor throw. The same doubters he always had will probably point to this throw and say, “See! He can’t win.” Smith can with some help, but he can’t win games on his own.

More Seahawks news and analysis: