Geno Smith shoulders blame for game-losing play despite heroic outing vs. Lions

The New York Jets fought hard on Sunday, but they ultimately fell short in a 31-24 loss to the Detroit Lions. The offense had a chance to tie it at the end, but ex-Jet Chuck Clark saw an opportunity for revenge against his former team and took it.

Clark, who spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons with New York, strip-sacked Geno Smith with about 50 minutes to go thanks to a blown pass-protection assignment by running back Braelon Allen. Smith got hammered, and the ball came loose, ending the game.

As any good veteran quarterback would, Smith shouldered the blame for the game-clinching play at his post-game press conference, telling reporters, "It's on me. Bad play by me," after the game.

But as every Jets fan who watched Sunday's loss from wire-to-wire knows, this game was far from falling on Smith's shoulders in terms of who deserves the blame for the defeat.

Geno Smith takes accountability despite an awesome outing against Lions

Going into the Jets' Week 3 matchup against the Lions, you likely routinely saw people pointing to Smith's previous outings against Detroit dating back to his days as the Seattle Seahawks quarterback. He routinely put up big numbers against this specific opponent.

Despite the change in uniform, Smith did the exact same thing today, carving up a depleted Lions secondary to the tune of 321 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He completed 31 of 37 pass attempts: a completion percentage of 83%.

Smith did everything he could to keep his team in the game. Despite receiving no support from his running backs, he was able to effectively deliver the ball to his playmakers.

Garrett Wilson and Kenyon Sadiq were force-fed targets, to say the least. Wilson hauled in 10 catches for 107 yards and the game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Sadiq, making a statement in a breakout game, caught seven passes for 105 yards and a circus catch for the Jets' first touchdown.

None of that would've been possible had it not been for Smith being the ultimate point guard, making the throws he needed to, and taking the big shots when necessary.

The 35-year-old quarterback can try to take the blame as much as he wants, but it's obvious he wasn't the problem on Sunday. The defense's inability to get a stop when they needed to was ultimately what cost the Jets a win.

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