FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Geno Smith did everything for the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, even something he wouldn't recommend.
With a fresh set of downs and the ball at the New England Patriots' 38-yard line in overtime, the Seahawks were already in range for the game-winning field goal attempt. Smith headed toward the right sideline on a sprint-out but couldn't find an open receiver, so he cut back to the left and threw across his body to Tyler Lockett for a 16-yard gain.
"I wouldn't advise that to any young quarterback watching," Smith said with a laugh.
But on a day in which their run game gave them almost nothing, their receivers dropped five passes and their defense got gashed on the ground, the Seahawks needed every bit of playmaking they got from their quarterback.
Smith had already led a tying field goal drive late in regulation, and his completion to Lockett set up Jason Myers' game-winner from 31 yards out in overtime, lifting Seattle to a 23-20 victory at Gillette Stadium and a 2-0 start under new coach Mike Macdonald. It was the sixth-game winning drive Smith has led since the start of last season.
"He put the team on his back," receiver DK Metcalf said.
After leaning on their run game in last week's season-opening win over the Denver Broncos, the Seahawks needed Smith to carry them Sunday. He completed 33 of 44 attempts for 327 yards with a touchdown and no turnovers. He was sacked three times. His 11 incompletions included the five drops and a spike that set up a 44-yard Myers field goal as time expired in the first half.
With Ken Walker III sidelined because of an oblique injury, Zach Charbonnet started and gained only 38 yards on 14 carries, though he did score a 1-yard touchdown to put Seattle ahead in the second quarter. Smith gained 8 yards on five carries, including a fourth-and-1 quarterback sneak that he converted to extend the drive that ended with Charbonnet's touchdown.
No other Seahawk registered a carry as almost all of Seattle's offense went through Smith. His 33 completions were the most of his 12-year career, while his 44 attempts were tied for second most.
"I thought Geno played a dynamite game," Macdonald said. "I thought he was decisive. The ball was out fast. I thought we had a great plan."
With Abe Lucas still on the physically unable to perform list and George Fant inactive after injuring his knee in the opener, the Seahawks were down to their third option at right tackle in Stone Forsythe. Their plan was to get the ball out of Smith's hands quickly, which he did. According to ESPN Research, his average time before throw was 2.60 seconds Sunday. For context, that would have ranked fifth fastest among all quarterbacks as a season-long average last year.
Smith's lone touchdown pass was to Metcalf, a 56-yard score on Seattle's second possession that resulted from a coverage bust. Metcalf (10 catches for 129 yards) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (12 for 117) became the first duo in Seahawks history with at least 10 catches and at least 100 receiving yards in the same game, according to ESPN Research. Smith-Njigba set career highs in both marks Sunday as well as in targets with a team-high 16. He had one drop while Metcalf and tight end Noah Fant each had two.
"He was unbelievable," Metcalf said of Smith-Njigba, a first-round pick last year. Every time they seemed to throw him the ball he was catching it. He's also a hard worker ... a special young player that's about to take over the league, in my opinion."
The Seahawks would have needed a touchdown drive from Smith to force overtime late in regulation if not for safety Julian Love, who blocked Joey Slye's 48-yard field goal try to keep Seattle's deficit at three. Love said he had a hunch before the snap and switched sides with Rayshawn Jenkins, putting him in position for the block.
"When he blocked the kick, I felt like it turned the momentum," Smith said. "You could see they put their heads down a little bit. Their defense was, like, 'Oh, man, we've got to stop these guys.' That's when we kind of put our foot on the pedal. We started really just going after them and made some big plays."
Smith drove the Seahawks 42 yards on nine plays to set up Myers' 38-yard field goal drive. The overtime drive went 71 yards on eight plays. Smith went a combined 9-of-11 for 81 yards on those two possessions, and one of his incompletions was a Fant drop.
In addition to trying the franchise record with five game-winning drives last season, Smith threw seven go-ahead touchdown passes in the fourth quarter or overtime, the most in a single season in NFL history.
He came through for the Seahawks again on a day in which he didn't get much help.
"My mindset: put the ball in [No.] 7's hands," Smith said, referring to his jersey number. "That's my mindset. I always dreamed about these moments growing up ... Whenever I'm in this situation and the game's on the line, I'm so happy and just excited for those opportunities. I look forward to them actually. I know it's going to happen more and more times throughout the season. The best quarterbacks always find ways to win and I want to be regarded in that light, so I just want to continue to be there for my team, do what's right, make the plays when they come."