Geno Smith is the bright spot in the Jets 1-2 start

Geno Smith is the clear bright spot in a 1-2 start for the New York Jets. Through three games the 35-year-old is completing 75.5 percent of his passes, first among qualified NFL quarterbacks, and he has not thrown an interception in 102 attempts.

The Jets traded for him in March and brought him back to the team that drafted him in 2013. Last season with the Las Vegas Raiders he threw a league-high 17 interceptions. Tight end Jeremy Ruckert’s view of this version was blunt: “He’s a warrior, man. He’s a field general. We have the utmost confidence in him.”

Sunday showed the difference. Smith passed for 321 yards and three touchdowns in the 31-24 loss to the Detroit Lions, the first Jets quarterback since Mike White in 2022 to post 300 yards and three scores in a game. Coach Aaron Glenn credited him with “delivering the ball with confidence.” Without Adonai Mitchell and Mason Taylor he still hit eight different receivers, including 10 catches for 107 yards by Garrett Wilson.

Mitchell (finger), Taylor (thumb), and running back Breece Hall (quad) are uncertain for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears. If Smith’s rate holds, the season would sit among the better passing years in Jets history, a short list beyond Joe Namath.

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