Update Monday, 10:08 a.m.: Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald gave a small update on Geno Smith’s knee injury during his weekly conversation with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. Stacy Rost and Maura Dooley of Seattle Sports have the details below.

Mike Macdonald continued @SeattleSports says there is no update on Geno Smith (knee) yet. You’ll know more soon: “He seemed upbeat this morning, (I) texted him.”

– Stacy Jo Rost (@StacyRost) December 16, 2024

Mike Macdonald tells @SeattleSports that they don’t have an update on Geno Smith yet, but Geno seemed optimistic when texting with him this morning. When asked if there was a possibility that Geno could play this week based on what they know so far, he said “yes.”

— Maura Dooley (@Maura_Dool) December 16, 2024

Original story:

SEATTLE – Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said quarterback Geno Smith’s knee appears to be structurally sound, but the 34-year-old veteran will undergo testing on Monday after Sunday night’s 30-13 loss to left the Green Bay Packers behind midway through the third quarter.

Recap | Rust on Hawks | Observations | Immediate response | statistics

With Seattle trailing 20-3, Smith deflected a low shot into the legs of linebacker Edgerrin Cooper shortly after releasing the ball on an incomplete pass. After the hit, Smith limped off the field before lying on the grass in noticeable pain. He was examined in the pitchside medical tent and limped back to the dressing room shortly afterwards. The Seahawks considered his return questionable, but backup quarterback Sam Howell played the rest of the way.

“I’ll tell you this: I mean, this guy is probably the toughest player I’ve ever been around,” Macdonald said of Smith. “It was so bad that he couldn’t get back into the game. We’ll run tests tomorrow and kind of figure it out over time. But right now structurally it looks like it’s fine, but we’re going to get it photographed and all that stuff.”

Macdonald said Smith wanted to return to the game but ultimately didn’t make it.

“He fought to get one of those drives back (in the second half),” Macdonald said. “…He just couldn’t leave.”

Before his exit, Smith completed 15 of 19 passes for 149 yards, with no touchdowns and a costly interception in the red zone. He was sacked three times while often under pressure from the Packers’ defense. He entered the game second in the league with 3,474 yards.

“It’s tough,” said Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV. “Geno is the heartbeat of this offense, the heartbeat of this team. He is one of our leaders. Of course you don’t want him to get hurt, but we have faith in Sam. … I pray everything is OK with Geno, but we have to be ready to choose whoever is quarterback.”

Howell, acquired in a deal with the Washington Commanders last March, struggled in his first significant stint with the Seahawks. The third-year quarterback completed just 5 of 14 passes for 24 yards while throwing one interception and taking four sacks.

Before Sunday, Howell appeared in one game this season but did not attempt a pass. He started all 17 games for the Commanders last year and threw for 3,946 yards with 21 touchdowns and 21 interceptions, the most in the league.

“At the end of the day, I have to get better,” Howell said. “My job is to be ready, play well and help this team win and I didn’t do that today. So I just have to get better and watch the film and learn from it.”

Macdonald said he wasn’t sure if Smith would miss any more time. Seattle hosts the 11-2 Minnesota Vikings next Sunday.

“I know he will do everything humanly possible to go play,” Macdonald said. “But I just don’t know right now.”

Oluwatimi injured

Second-year center Olu Oluwatimi left Sunday in the second quarter with a knee/hamstring injury, forcing undrafted rookie Jalen Sundell to play center the rest of the game. This ended a rare period of continuity for Seattle’s O-line, which had played two complete games in a row with the same starting unit.

Oluwatimi started the last five games at center after season-opening starter Connor Williams abruptly quit midway through the season.

“I’m not sure how serious it is,” Macdonald said. “It was so bad he couldn’t get in, so we’ll find out tomorrow about the extent of the imaging and all that kind of stuff.”

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