Under Pressure: Geno Smith against the Oakland Raiders

Last year, Geno Smith struggled when he was under pressure. This is true of almost all rookie quarterbacks, but it was of course disconcerting to see. Fortunately, things looked better for Smith yesterday against the Oakland Raiders. Consider this chart from ProFootballFocus on how Smith performed without pressure and under pressure:

I question the ProFootballFocus grades when they give Smith a -0.4 grade for going 22-24 when not under pressure, and -0.9 for going 6-7 for a QB Rating of 158.0 when blitzed. That said, you'll notice Smith's high completion rate all around. Notice that Smith's yards per attempt went up when he was being blitzed, as did his quarterback rating. Smith also scored his only touchdown while he was being blitzed.

This is something to keep an eye on, as the season progresses. The Raiders are not a playoff team, but this is a very good start for Smith. It's certainly a welcome change from last year.