Jonathan Gannon won't ignore Geno Smith's past success against him in Week 2

The New York Jets pivot their attention to the Green Bay Packers in Week 2. The Jets have a chance to improve to 2-0, and if they do, Geno Smith will need to have another outing similar to the one he had against Tennessee.

It's certainly a step up in competition, but Green Bay defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon seems to already think Smith will play well in this contest.

"He [Smith] always plays well against me or us or whoever I’m with,” Gannon said when speaking to the media on Tuesday via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.

From the outside, it sounds like Smith has burned Gannon's defenses and teams in the past, leading to Gannon's highlighting Smith's success.

Jonathan Gannon's Geno Smith admission should intrigue New York Jets fans

NFL Analyst Will Parkinson posted some stats on Smith against Gannon in his career, and the numbers are encouraging. Smith has gone 80-of-113 (70.7%) for 895 passing yards, six touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 112.7 QB rating. He's also 4-0 in those outings.

Granted, some of these games were against the Arizona Cardinals, where Gannon didn't call the plays, but that doesn't take away from the fact that Smith has found success when Gannon is on the other sideline.

Smith's 2026 season started on a great note, as the veteran looked very confident against Tennessee and was efficient on the field. He finished the opener going 19-of-24 for 215 yards. Although he didn't throw any touchdowns, Smith had complete control of the offense.

He spread the ball around, completing a pass to 10 different players, while targeting 12 guys. The best part of New York's game plan in Week 1 was that they didn't need to lean on Smith's arm. The run game led the charge, but going into this contest against Green Bay, the ground attack will certainly open up things for the passing game.

The Packers know they need to slow down the run game for New York, so there's no doubt that will be a big part of their game plan. Yet, the pass catchers will reap those rewards. The biggest advantage that the Jets give Smith is the quality offensive line blocking for him.

In the opener, Smith has barely touched, giving him a ton of time back there to scan the field and pick apart the defense. Considering that Micah Parsons won't be out there, New York should once again be able to handle the Packers' front.

Against the Vikings, Green Bay allowed Carson Wentz to come in as a relief and toss three passing touchdowns. And that was without a full week of practice.

Smith and New York's coaching staff are diving into Packers tape to find ways to attack their weaknesses. And Gannon's comments prove that he knows it's possible that Smith plays well against his unit again. If he does, there's a good shot New York comes out of this game 2-0.

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