The Seattle Seahawks struggled mightily against the Green Bay Packers to start Sunday night’s Week 15 showdown, falling behind 20-3 before halftime en route to a 30-13 loss. They also lost their starting quarterback in the second half, with Geno Smith exiting halfway through the third quarter with a knee injury.
On Monday, head coach Mike Macdonald sounded slightly more optimistic on Smith’s prognosis than he did following the game on Sunday. He said during a radio appearance that there is a chance Smith could play next week against the Vikings, via The Seattle Times. Macdonald did caution, however, that tests were still ongoing, while also noting that Smith, “seemed optimistic this morning texting with him, so we’ve got that going for us.”
The injury occurred when Smith, 34, backpedaled in the pocket on a first down with 7:12 left in the third quarter, throwing incomplete as Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper applied pressure. Cooper dove toward the quarterback’s legs, however, and ultimately came down on Smith’s right lower leg. While the contact was legal, it prompted some visible frustration from Smith, who proceeded to drop to the ground for further evaluation.
Smith then exited the field under his own power, limping to the sidelines, while backup Sam Howell took over under center for Seattle. Howell finished the drive, leading the Seahawks to a field goal, and Smith walked to the locker room for additional treatment as the third-quarter clock ticked under six minutes, ruled questionable to return.
“It was severe enough [to keep him from returning],” Macdonald told reporters after the game “We’ll do more tests on him. … Structurally, it looks like it’s OK. But we’ve gotta get an image and all that stuff … Just don’t know right now [about his availability.]”
Sunday night marked Howell’s first passing attempts as a member of the team. He was acquired via trade from the Washington Commanders in the 2024 offseason after spending all of 2023 as a starter, throwing 21 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. Smith, meanwhile, previously missed two games due to injury in 2023, when Drew Lock served as the Seahawks’ No. 2 quarterback.
