Geno Smith suffered an injury in the third quarter of the Seattle Seahawks‘ Week 11 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Speaking after the game, Smith didn’t appear confident about his chances of playing on Thursday night with a short week, but head coach Pete Carroll has provided good news for Seattle.
The Seahawks face the San Francisco 49ers in a huge divisional matchup on Thursday, playing in front of a national audience on Thanksgiving. Seattle looks to continue challenging San Francisco for the NFC West title, and to have been without their starting quarterback would have been a huge blow.
However, Carroll gave an optimistic update on Monday regarding Smith’s injury.
Geno Smith Injury Update
Carroll revealed that Smith is expected to play on Thursday night in the last of three games on Thanksgiving.
Speaking on The Pete Carroll Show on Seattle Sports, hosted by Mike Salk, Carroll said, “We don’t know much today yet, but it was a good sign that he could get back in and throw. He’s going to be more sore today. We’ll see how he responds the next couple days. But, it was a good sign that he was functional and could throw the football alright, so it was a good job in getting back out there.”
MORE: NFL Injuries Week 11 Recap
Continuing on Smith’s injury, Carroll went on to say, “It’s a good sign that he’s functional, so that’s not the issue, so it’s just how sore he is. He’ll make it back.”
When pressed by Salk, who asked, “By Thursday?” Carroll replied, “I would think so. The challenge couldn’t be any harder. He’s gonna play.”
What Was Smith’s Injury?
Smith was tackled by Aaron Donald in the third quarter against the Rams and appeared to take a knock to his elbow. Smith managed to walk to the sideline after sluggishly getting to his feet. He was then seen heading into the tent for his injury to be assessed.
After having his elbow wrapped in ice and then a sleeve, Smith returned to the game, marching the Seahawks into field-goal range for the chance to go ahead. Unfortunately, placekicker Jason Myers missed the subsequent 55-yard attempt.
Smith spoke postgame about how difficult it was to play through, saying he was “A little sore, not the best, but God is good, so I’ll just keep pushing.”
Smith disclosed, “I really just had to try to do my best to fight through the pain. That was the main thing, pain tolerance, just trying my best to fight through and keep going. That’s just how I am. I’m always going to try to finish the game if I can.”
Speaking to Seattle Sports on Monday, Carroll went further. When asked what the exact injury Smith sustained, Carroll revealed, “He got hit on the tendon in the triceps. The bottom of his triceps. That’s where the helmet hit the back of his arm, so he had a contusion there.”
Carroll added, “We don’t think there’s any damage other than that. But we got to see how much it swells up. The docs were all over him all through the flight and all last night.”
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