Tarp off, rain returns, Geno Smith readies early for Seahawks’ playoff test at 49ers
The weather? Yes, it’s a factor.
All week coach Pete Carroll talked about a “cyclone” possibility he’d been hearing for Saturday’s NFC wild-card playoff game between his Seahawks and the heavily favored San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.
Sure enough, the Seahawks woke up Saturday morning to rain and wind pelting hotel windows in the South Bay Area, as predicted. The field at Levi’s Stadium remained covered through the downpour.
But the rain stopped late in the morning. The tarp came off the field about three hours before kickoff, leaving a dry, freshly painted grass track. Then rain returned about 20 minutes before kickoff, sending fans under their ponchos and raincoats and making the field wet for the start of the game.
The forecast was for winds increasing to perhaps 15 mph with gusts possibly to 30 mph during the afternoon.
Quarterback Geno Smith was out early, three hours before kickoff of the first playoff start of his 10-year career. He was lofting passes in a sweatsuit.
Smith then led the Seahawks onto the field just before kickoff, to the expected boos from the wet fans.
He has emerged from almost a decade as a journeyman backup to not only replace Russell Wilson but break his Seahawks passing records. He has earned his first career Pro Bowl selection. He has led Seattle unexpectedly into the playoffs.
But it’s not a storybook season to Smith. It’s what he says he’s known for seven years he would do, once he finally got a chance.
“I would say it’s not a fairy-tale. I’d say it’s very much reality,” the 32-year-old quarterback said this past week.
Carroll and Seahawks offensive coordinator walked the entire perimeter of the field and talked about 2 1/2 hours before kickoff.
Whether they were playing in a monsoon or in Qatar, Carroll, Waldron and the Seahawks knew they needed to run Kenneth Walker effectively into San Francisco’s top-ranked defense to make Smith’s play-action passes more effective with shorter third downs than Seattle’s first two games against the 49ers this season. Seattle rushed for only 36 yards on 14 carries Sept. 18 against the Niners, and for just 70 yards on 14 rushes last month against San Francisco.
Seattle scored one offensive touchdown total in the two regular-season meetings.
Walker was a non-factor in both those games. He was recovering from a hernia, backing up lead back Rashaad Penny and had only a cameo in week two. On Dec. 15, he was playing through an injured ankle.
On defense, wet and sloppy field or dry, the Seahawks had to stop Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell from running.
Rushing defense was Seattle’s weakest area during the regular season. The 49ers ran for 189 and 170 yards against the Seahawks in San Francisco’s 27-7 win in week two at Levi’s Stadium and 21-13 victory at Lumen Field last month. And those romps came when the 49ers had Mitchell out injured and, in September, had yet to trade for McCaffrey midseason from Carolina.
No surprises with inactives
Phil Haynes’ high-ankle sprain did not heal enough for him to play Saturday. So Gabe Jackson had the start and the entire game at right guard for the second consecutive weeks. Haynes and Jackson had been alternating late in the regular season.
The Seahawks’ other inactive players at San Francisco were all expected: reserve wide receiver Penny Hart, reserve cornerback Artie Burns, reserve running back Tony Jones (added to the active roster from the practice squad Saturday), reserve cornerback Xavier Crawford, reserve linebacker Joshua Onujiogu and reserve linebacker Vi Jones.
This story was originally published January 14, 2023 at 12:17 PM.
