Geno Smith was sacked a league-high 55 times in 15 starts for the Raiders last season, but he had a far different experience with the Jets on Sunday.
Smith was not sacked once while going 19-of-24 for 215 yards in a 23-10 win over the Titans. The Titans were credited with one quarterback hit, but Smith couldn’t recall getting hit when he spoke to reporters at a postgame press conference.
“Outstanding. I thought the guys did a tremendous job at giving me lanes to throw through,” Smith said, via a transcript from the team. “I don’t think I got touched at all out there and that’s always a great sign. I thought we ran the ball well, which slowed them down. And then when we needed to pass the ball, I thought the protection was outstanding.”
It was Smith’s first start since leaving the Raiders, but not his first start for the Jets. Smith was a 2013 second-round pick and his rocky first tenure with the team came to an end after four years. He said “it just feels like football” when asked how it felt to be back with the team and Smith’s second run will continue with next Sunday’s home opener against the Packers.