Geno Smith flipped his biggest weakness into the Jets’ best asset

Considering last year’s historic drought, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that the New York Jets’ defense hasn’t snagged an interception through three games. 

Where our shock comes in, at least with regard to picks, is how few Geno Smith has thrown — and by “few,” we mean none. 

You read correctly, folks. The same Smith who led the league in interceptions last year has made it through 12 quarters (and an overtime period) without a single pick. 

Who is this man, and what has he done with the real Geno Smith?

Credit to New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith for avoiding interceptions

Regardless of what happens Monday night, Smith and the Houston Texans’ C.J. Stroud will end Week 3 as the only quarterbacks who have started every game and are yet to throw an interception. 

Where things get especially noteworthy is that Smith averages 7.7 yards per attempt, over a full yard more than Stroud’s 6.6 rate. So it’s not like Smith is avoiding picks simply because he’s checking the ball down. 

We pointed out ahead of the Jets-Lions game that Smith hadn’t gone three consecutive games without an interception since December 2023. Sunday also marked the first time that he’d achieved that feat with the Jets; his longest interception-free streak was a two-game stretch in December 2013. 

Remember: Smith turns 36 next month and led the league in picks last year. We rarely see this kind of turnaround from a veteran quarterback, let alone someone who has long been known for his turnovers. 

At his current pace, Smith would become the first Jets quarterback since Josh McCown in 2017 to start at least 10 games without throwing double-digit interceptions. The popular journeyman had nine picks in 13 starts, paving the way for Sam Darnold’s arrival the following spring. 

You’d need to go back to Ken O’Brien in 1985 for the last time a Jets quarterback started every game and didn’t reach at least 10 interceptions. Long before your parents’ yellow SUV became the enemy, O’Brien only threw nine picks in his 16 starts. 

There have been only 17 instances of a Jets quarterback starting every game since the league initially expanded to 16 games in 1978. Granted, that number seems slightly generous given how abysmal their quarterback play has been at times, but the point remains. 

Plenty can obviously change over the final 14 games, though we’re skeptical Smith will collapse and finish atop the interceptions leaderboard. We have a gut feeling we’d see Cade Klubnik take over if things became that bad. 

Just the fact that we’re headed into October and no one is discussing Klubnik should itself be a victory for Smith, even if he and the Jets failed to record an actual win the last two weeks.

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