Since Geno Smith has returned, my untrained eye has thought he's done better the past two against the Minnesota Vikings and the Tennessee Titans, even though the team is 1-1 in those games, than he has looked since early in the season. The numbers seem to support that, at an early glance.
| OPP. | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | Rating | PFF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Titans | 57.1 | 179 | 1 | 0 | 88.2 | -2.3 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 62.1 | 254 | 1 | 1 | 87.4 | 2.5 |
| Miami Dolphins | 53.8 | 65 | 0 | 1 | 35.7 | -1.7 |
| Buffalo Bills | 83.3 | 89 | 0 | 0 | 97.6 | -0.4 |
I will say that I think the PFF grade for this past game should be adjusted because it subtracts 1.4 for penalties, which I don't understand. So I would give him a -0.9. Obviously still not great but not nearly as bad. It isn't that surprising, since the opponents are now weaker than early in the season. Smith hasn't been winning the games, but he also hasn't been losing them, at least in the past two.
Barring a change at general manager, which doesn't seem very likely, it's almost certain that Smith will return as a cheap option to compete in camp against a rookie and a veteran. What do you think? What does Smith have to do to earn another shot?