Smith’s teammates have seen enough of those crucial moments over the past few years that they expect him to deliver when it matters most. And on Sunday, he did so under difficult circumstances, playing against a good Patriots defense and without starting running back Kenneth Walker III and the two best options at right tackle, Abraham Lucas and George Fant.

With the Seahawks managing only 46 rushing yards, eight of which came from Smith, they had to carry the load with their passing game – and Smith was up to the challenge.

“He carried the team on his shoulders,” said Metcalf, who had the most yards on his team with 129 yards and 10 catches. “We were behind and needed a field goal or a touchdown to win, and he delivered.”

Smith-Njigba, who set a career high with 12 catches for 117 yards, pointed to Smith’s “killer mentality. He scores points, he drives us, motivates us. Just highly focused.”

Running back Zach Charbonnet, who caught a key third-down pass on the game-winning drive, added: “Geno played a great game. He’s our leader. We were able to rely on him and depend on him in this game.”

What was evident in many of Smith’s game-winning drives is the way that the confidence Smith has in crucial moments rubs off on his teammates, even those playing on the other side of the ball.

“I’ve never seen a quarterback carry as much grudges as Geno,” safety Julian Love said. “It was obvious when I first started here. I came to Seattle last year and I was like, ‘Man, this guy has so much confidence.’ I’ve never seen a quarterback like that. He talks, he has energy, he was just hot at halftime. He brought energy on the sideline the whole game and people pick up on that. On offense, they go with him and on defense, we try to push him as well. He’s special and I’m grateful to have him.”