Geno Smith — Week 1: Nineteen of Twenty-Four, Nine After Halftime
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 14
Smith completed nineteen of twenty-four for two hundred fifteen yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions and no sacks in his first game as a Jet, and nine of the twenty-four came after halftime for a hundred twenty-five yards. He threw to ten different Jets, and the one turnover scare was his own: an aborted snap on third and six in the first quarter that he recovered himself, in a 23–10 win over the Titans.
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The full episode, in writing
Geno Smith's second half Sunday was nine throws, eight completions and a hundred 25 yards, and two of those throws did most of it. Second and two at the New York 28 with 12 19 left in the third, Jets up 10 to three: deep right to Garrett Wilson, pushed out at the Tennessee 41, 31 yards. Then first and 20 from the 49: deep right to Adonai Mitchell, 40 yards to the Tennessee 11. Two plays later Breece Hall scored from the four. Those two throws were worth +2.1 and +2.7 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and the nine second-half pass plays came out at +6.1 in total.
The full line: 19 completions on 24 throws, 215 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and no sacks. The 24 pass plays were worth +9.8 expected points, and the five incompletions were a deep shot to Wilson on the opening drive, a short throw to Mason Taylor that Tennessee challenged and lost, a third-and-five incompletion to Braelon Allen at the Tennessee 14 that turned a drive into a field goal, a throw with no intended receiver late in the half, and a short one to Arian Smith in the third. The worst play of his day was not a throw: third and six at the New York 24 with four 11 left in the first, the snap was aborted, he fell on it at the 18, and it cost −2.0 expected points and 6.7 points of win probability — win probability being the chance of winning from that situation, before and after the play.
He threw to 10 different Jets. Seven targets to Wilson, three each to Mitchell, Taylor and Kenyon Sadiq, two to Hall, one each to Allen, Arian Smith, Isaiah Williams, Jeremy Ruckert and Omar Cooper. 15 throws before halftime for 90 yards, nine after it for a hundred 25. New York converted two third downs all afternoon, and the offense's answer to that was the run game: 32 running-back carries, two fourth-down conversions and a seven-yard Smith scramble to the Tennessee four on the touchdown drive.
Back in June the preview made no call on Smith — a quarterback ranked thirtieth who had produced exactly what thirtieth implied, with the open question being whether 17 interceptions were the new baseline or a bad year. One game with no interceptions, no sacks and 24 throws is a small piece of evidence against the baseline, and it is only a piece. The efficiency was very good; the volume was not the kind that produces a big passing day. New York is home to the Packers on Sunday the twentieth. The number to watch is how many times he throws.
_Data via nflverse._
When Geno Smith's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
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