The frustration finally spilled over for Geno Smith late in the Jets’ lopsided night against the Chiefs.
With New York trailing 35-12 in the fourth quarter and staring at a 2-7 record, the offense had gone nowhere for much of the second half. After one more stalled possession, Smith hit his breaking point on the sideline.
According to Brian Costello of the New York Post, Smith was yelling and slammed his helmet onto the bench. The report suggested he wasn’t directing the outburst at any one person, just venting the kind of frustration that had been building all game.
“Geno is worked up,” Costello reported. “He just threw his helmet into the bench. Screaming at no one in particular, just screaming.”
The drive that set him off ended with Smith scrambling out of the pocket, stumbling, and falling to the turf, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. It was the kind of play that summed up a rough afternoon for the Jets and, as Cimini put it, the season.
“That play typifies the day for the Jets (and the season): Geno Smith, on the run, stumbling, spinning, and going down. And then he fires his helmet on the bench,” Cimini posted on X.
Kansas City had kept Smith under constant pressure all day. He had been sacked five times, and his accuracy had slipped as the game wore on, with his completion percentage sitting just below 60.0% heading into the two-minute warning.
Smith has started every game for the Jets this season. He came into Week 9 with 1,913 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, three interceptions, and a 69.0% completion rate.
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