Seahawks 29, Commanders 26
Q. How did that one feel?
GENO SMITH: Great to get a win. Great to get a win, especially at home in front of our fans. I thought the crowd was electric once again. It's always good to get a win.
Q. What was that chemistry like with DK on the final drive? You targeted him three times, I think.
GENO SMITH: Yeah, DK and I, he's such a special player. Anytime we get a chance to get him the ball, especially when the game is on the line, he continues to show up and show you exactly who he is. I believe he's one of the better receivers in the game. I felt like he played a tremendous game today, and we've got to keep that up. We've got to keep building on that.
Q. The drive before that was four balls to Tyler Lockett.
GENO SMITH: Yeah, you know, as you could see, D-coordinators are trying just about everything to guard those guys. It's really hard for them to do it.
Either they're going to take away -- they're going to double DK or they're going to double Tyler, and my job is to find the single, the guy who's matched up one-on-one. Typically those guys win they're one-on-ones, and I felt like Tyler had a great game.
But it really started with protection, started with play calling. Felt like all 11 played together today no matter the circumstance, started out a little rough but we still found a way to get it done.
Q. You've always prioritized winning above everything else, but you've also been hard on yourself when you don't play the way you want to play. 367 yards today, no turnovers, to have a day like that, how important is that for you?
GENO SMITH: Yeah, it really doesn't matter to me personally. Like I always tell you guys, I know who I am as a player, I know exactly what I can do, and I always remain confident in that.
But I felt like just to get a win coming back after last week, felt like we did a lot of uncharacteristic things in that last game, and it was important for us to kind of get back to who we are today, and I felt like we did that.
Like I said, I feel like Shane called an amazing game. I felt like the O-line did exactly what they were supposed to do. They were great in the run game, great in the passing game. It allowed us to really dial up some plays and get some guys going.
Even with that, I still feel like we left some stuff out there, so a lot of room for improvement.
Q. When you dump off that pass to Ken, are you thinking, hey, this is maybe a five-, ten-yard gain, and how did you see that play out?
GENO SMITH: Yeah, anytime Ken gets the ball, it's a chance for a touchdown. Yeah, whenever you dump it off to him, three-yard pass, 60-something-yard touchdown, I'll take them all like that. Ken is such a great player. You've just got to figure out ways to get him the ball in space.
We were trying to attack a different part of the field on that. They took it away. I felt like I did something I was supposed to do, which is check it down, and was rewarded by a great play by Ken.
Q. Pete said he told you that going to overtime was okay. Did you change your approach in any way at all because of that?
GENO SMITH: Not at all. Not at all. I think that was Coach's way of reminding me not to do nothing crazy with the football right there. When we're in that situation, we're right at home. We practice that every single day in the VMAC. We knew exactly how much time we had, how many time-outs, just about everything that we needed to do, we knew what to do, and like I said, I feel like Shane called a great game down the stretch. DK made some tremendous plays, just being exactly who he is, and how about J-My, just going in there and finishing the game off, really doing what he did, making five field goals. We needed every one of them.
Q. In games like that, how important is level-headedness? What does that provide you clarity-wise?
GENO SMITH: It's everything. It's everything. Coach Carroll did a great job last night talking to the team. He talked about quieting the voice in the head, quieting the mind. For me and maybe some other players, I feel like I'm my own worst enemy sometimes. I'm pushing myself to be the best I can be, and sometimes that gets to me.
But Coach did a great job of making sure that I was level-headed and had a clear mind, and that allowed me to go out there and play the game I play.
Q. What did you remind yourself in that moment? What do you go back to? Is there a cue or something that gets you back there?
GENO SMITH: Not really a cue, just playing football. Going out there and finishing the game, do the next right thing, whatever that is, and making sure that I'm always being in the right frame of mind so I can go out there and play clear, level-headed and make the right plays.
Q. You said sometimes you're your own worst enemy, but what do you think it is that allowed you to be in the right head space in those moments?
GENO SMITH: I think, like you said, poise. That's a key factor in it. You've got to be calm. The guys got to feel that calmness from you. You don't want to get antsy or anything in the huddle and guys get a little nervous. Being calm but also just being in that position so many times throughout my lifetime playing football, knowing that you're either going to make the play or you're not. It's kind of ironic, I was listening to Kobe Bryant, one of his interviews, and he was talking about missing a game-winning shot, and he was like unpacking what are you worried about; are you a failure if you miss it. I truly believe there is no failure, you just learn. Whether you win or you lose, you've got to continue to learn.
I think today we got it done, and that was all that mattered.
Q. What were you thinking at halftime because you guys put up a lot of yards but only had nine points?
GENO SMITH: Yeah. I felt like we were moving the ball. I felt like we moved the ball up and down the field and just weren't able to finish in the red zone. That's something we talk about always, just trying to finish in the red zone. We knew that we'd get those opportunities again the second half, and we all collectively said we're going to finish. When the time comes, we're going to finish in the end zone, and it felt like we did that when we needed to.
Q. It looked like you guys were protesting the grounding call at the end of the half there. What did the officials tell you about that?
GENO SMITH: Just called intentional grounding. I thought it wasn't, but they called it, so just some things I can correct on that, maybe get the ball out faster so they don't have to make that call.
Q. Were you just trying to draw them offsides on that one 4th down?
GENO SMITH: Yeah, just trying to get them offsides.
Q. You said it's not failure, it's learning. What did you learn?
GENO SMITH: Shoot, man, that you've got to keep playing. You've got to keep on playing. The game is never over, which we know. We've done this time and time again. It's always a constant learning experience. That's just life in general. So just trying to learn from every single test, every single opportunity.
Q. He does it a lot, but are you still just wowed with some of those toe-tap catches that Tyler makes?
GENO SMITH: Yeah. Every time you see it, it's like a wowing thing, man. Tyler, again, has got those small feet. He just knows how to get them inbounds. He's going to continue to make those plays. He practices that. But he's really great at it.
Q. Are you surprised to see how wide open he can get?
GENO SMITH: Yeah, not surprised but very happy. I'd love for him to get wide open every single time so it would make the throws easier. But he's a great player. He's a guy we depend on, and he comes through every single week.
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