Seattle Seahawks Offense 'Very Encouraging' Despite Red Zone Issues, Says Geno Smith

The Seattle Seahawks are likely still reeling from their 17-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6, which saw their red zone issues continue. What might hurt Seattle the most is that it did more than enough to win the game, but going 1 of 5 in the red zone against an opponent like the Bengals won't cut it.

For quarterback Geno Smith, getting those issues sorted is crucial and ultimately, it comes down to execution.

“It would be very encouraging, but as we all know, it’s all about execution and it’s about what you do," Smith said. "We haven’t been our best on third down or in the red zone and I feel like that’s something we’ve talked about, every single week that I’ve been up here, is how to correct those issues. That’s something that we all collectively can do a better job at. I always say it starts with me. I’m going to figure out ways to be better in those situations and I know we’ll have more of those situations in the next coming games. It’ll be a great chance for us to correct those and right those wrongs.”

There was a lot to dislike about Seattle's performance as the red zone and third-down issues continued to plague Shane Waldron's offense, but rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was a bright spot.

After being a slow burn to start his NFL career - which might have been due to a preseason wrist injury - the former Ohio State star had himself a good game against Cincinnati, hauling in four catches for 48 yards as he continues to show improvement with each passing week.

For Smith, the rookie's place in the offense is starting to work itself out, and the longer he can string together good games, the sooner he'll become an integral part of it.

“I’ve always said it, I thought Jaxon, the way that even after he got the injury and kept rolling through it, you just saw his toughness," Smith said. "As the weeks come along, he’s a rookie. Everyone has got high expectations, we’ve all got high expectations for him, he’s got high expectations for himself.

"With the games, it’s a process. I’ve was always speaking about that process, and I felt like Jaxon was doing all of the right things. You can see where he’s coming along and where he’s starting to fit in into this offense and his role is going to continue to grow. I think he’s a tremendous player and he’s going to continue to get better over time.”

The Seahawks will be hoping that Smith-Njigba's form carries over to the Arizona Cardinals game at Lumen Field on Sunday as Seattle will play in its second division game of the year.

While the red zone and third down issues need to be addressed, Seattle is still putting up points. However, there is only so far you can go in the NFL when you aren't great in either category.

The Seahawks need to move the chains consistently and, when in the red zone, convert that into touchdowns.

Perhaps that starts on Sunday against the Cardinals.