Geno Smith injury update: Pete Carroll says QB is dealing with elbow bruise after hard hit vs. Rams

Jacob Camenker

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Geno Smith injury update: Pete Carroll says QB is dealing with elbow bruise after hard hit vs. Rams image

Geno Smith has started every game at quarterback for the Seahawks in a year that hasn't exactly been kind to NFL quarterbacks.

But there were concerns about his ability to finish the team's Week 11 matchup against the Rams.

Smith suffered an apparent arm injury while trying to throw a pass late in the third quarter. Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald hit him full force as he was trying to release the ball, and Smith came up in pain as a result of it.

Smith remained down on the field momentarily before getting up and heading to the sideline. He was visibly frustrated while heading to the bench and eventually went into the blue medical tent for treatment.

MORE: Latest injury updates on Rams WR Cooper Kupp

The Seahawks announced via senior reporter John Boyle that Smith was questionable to return with an elbow injury.

And while backup quarterback Drew Lock remained in the game for several drives after Smith suffered the injury, the veteran passer returned to the game for Seattle's final offensive drive with the goal of leading the Seahawks to a come-from-behind win.

While Smith got the Seahawks into range for a game-winning 55-yard field goal, Jason Myers couldn't convert it.

Before his initial exit, Smith had completed 19 of 29 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown. In his stead, Lock completed just 2 of 6 passes for 3 yards and an interception. His poor performance is part of what led the Seahawks to turn back to Smith for the final drive despite the quarterback being at less than 100 percent.

While Smith finished the game, there are questions about his status moving forward. After the game, coach Pete Carroll announced that Smith was dealing with an elbow bruise and his status for the team's Thanksgiving game had yet to be determined.

Lock would be next in line to start for the Seahawks if Smith is unable to play for Seattle on Thanksgiving against the 49ers. That may not inspire too much hope given Lock's performance against the Rams.

Seattle is currently three-deep at the quarterback position, as former Broncos and Rams backup Brett Rypien joined their practice squad ahead of Week 10. But surely, the team will be hoping that Smith can be good to go for Week 12.

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.