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The Seattle Seahawks have suffered their first in-game injury of the 2021 season.
Geno Smith, who was given the start at quarterback tonight in place of the resting Russell Wilson, took a tough blindside hit on the first drive from an unblocked Raiders defensive back.
RIP Geno Smith. pic.twitter.com/55b7Ku0HZ8
— Victor Williams (@ThePhillyPod) August 15, 2021
Alex McGough replaced Smith briefly, but Smith took the field for the team’s second offensive drive before being replaced by McGough once again. The Seahawks later announced that Smith would miss the remainder of the game with a concussion.
.@Seahawks injury update: QB Geno Smith is Out (concussion).
— Seahawks PR (@seahawksPR) August 15, 2021
While it’s not known for sure, it seems likely that Smith suffered the injury during the above-linked play. It’s quite odd that Smith would be allowed to return to the game by the sideline doctors and then eventually pulled for the injury later.
So uh... did he get hit in the head again or should he have never been back in the game to begin with? https://t.co/pJiU8hdLIv
— Field Gulls (@FieldGulls) August 15, 2021
Sadly, Geno probably knew coming in that he would be in danger behind the especially shoddy line the Seahawks assembled for today’s game, which is anchored by rookie tackle Stone Forsythe, who has not looked like a professional player so far. It’s tough to see a player who is likely working to secure his backup role (despite Pete Carroll’s insistence that his job is safe) go down with an injury so early on.
For now, it seems that Seattle plans to leave McGough in at QB.