Geno Smith cashe$ in with career-best 4 TDs, Seahawks rally past Rams in season finale

They won’t get a chance for a ring.

But what some of the Seahawks heard Sunday in their final game of the 2024 season: Cha-ching!

And, a win.

For the second season in a row, Geno Smith didn’t get into the playoffs. But he collected $6 million extra in contract incentives with an efficient passing day with a career-high four touchdown passes. Smith’s go-ahead touchdown pass to Noah Fant with 3 minutes left ensured Seattle’s 30-25 victory over the many reserves of the NFC West-champion Los Angeles Rams in the Seahawks’ season finale at SoFi Stadium.

The word rookie head coach Mike Macdonald kept using on his team’s way out of Southern California following this 10th win of the season, in the final game these particular Seahawks will play together?

“Proud.”

Including, the coach said, of Smith, for how the veteran quarterback handled this week of being eliminated from playoff contention yet motivated to lead his team.

“You talk about one of the guys who fought to the very end for us,” Macdonald said of Smith after his fourth game-winning drive this season, and 12th in three seasons as Seattle’s starter (second-most in the NFL in that time).

“Putting a drive (together), I mean, par for the course for Geno. Another fourth-quarter comeback. ...Great throw to Noah.

“I thought he played a great game.”

Playing on a right knee he says still isn’t right after he injured it last month, Smith completed 20 of 27 passes for 223 yards without a turnover. He finished the season with a completion rate of 70.4%.

That was good enough for the first of three contract bonuses worth $2 million each the 34-year-old quarterback earned Sunday.

Down 25-24 with 4 minutes left in the season, Smith converted a third down with an 11-yard pass to 32-year-old 10-year veteran Tyler Lockett, who has been thinking Sunday may be his final Seahawks game.

“Maybe this isn’t the end. Maybe this is the end,” Lockett said after the game, with team vice chair Bert Kolde sitting right in front of him.

“I will always be a Seahawk, through and through.”

On the next play from the Rams 16-yard line down 25-24, Fant leaped for a remarkable catch at the goal line. He held onto the ball while getting flipped by a Rams defender because of a hit to the tight end’s legs. Fant’s first touchdown of the season was Smith’s 21st touchdown throw of the season.

Backup Jimmy Garoppolo, started as the Rams rested quarterback Matthew Stafford and many regulars ahead of L.A.’s home playoff game next week, drove Los Angeles inside the Seattle 15 in the final 70 seconds.

On third down, rookie cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett made an immediate tackle on Los Angeles’ Tutu Atwell after a catch short of the line to gain.

On fourth and 3 from the Seattle 9 and 21 seconds left, reserve cornerback Artie Burns — playing because of injuries among starters who played the entire game — broke up Garoppolo’s pass at the 5-yard line.

Linebacker Ernest Jones ran to the jubilant Seahawks sideline. He dropped to his knees facing the bench. And he prayed.

That’s how the Seahawks finished 10-7. That’s usually good enough to make the postseason. Instead, they are the first team since the NFL went to a 17-game season in 2021 to win 10 games but not make the playoffs. They and the 2020 Miami Dolphins are the only teams to win 10 yet miss the playoffs since the league expanded the postseason in 2020 to 14 teams, seven in each conference.

Seattle and the Rams tied in records at 10-7, but L.A. wins the division by a strength-of-victory tiebreaker it clinched last week.

This was the Seahawks’ sixth consecutive road victory. Seattle finished 7-1 away from Lumen Field this season. That ties the best road record in a season in the franchise’s 49-year history.

How Smith got his extra $6 million

Smith collected his first $2 million bonus with 12 minutes left in the game. He completed a 7-yard pass to Smith-Njigba. That gave Smith 4,283 yards passing this season. That broke his team record he set in 2022. That was one of five statistical benchmarks from the Pro Bowl and playoff season replacing traded Russell Wilson that Smith has as incentive bonuses within his three-year, $75 million deal that ends after the 2025 season.

Smith got his second $2 million bonus for completing finishing the season at 70.4%. That surpassed the 69.8% he had in 2022 to lead the NFL as another contract-incentive benchmark.

Smith got his third $2 million because the Seahawks won their 10th game. That’s one more than he won as their quarterback in 2022.

Smith’s third touchdown pass of the game came after Seattle converted on third down with a trick play they’d practiced since training camp. Smith completed a 2-yard pass over the middle to Smith-Njigba, for his 99th reception of the season. The second-year wide receiver then threw laterally to running back Zach Charbonnet, who was standing on the left sideline. Charbonnet ran 32 yards down that sideline past fooled Rams.

Smith finished that drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to AJ Barner. Instead of celebrating his fourth touchdown of his rookie season, the tight end handed the ball to left guard Laken Tomlinson. Tomlinson delivered a massive spike of the ball into the end zone to punctuate Seattle’s 24-16 lead late in the third quarter.

Smith-Njigba finished with four catches Sunday, and 100 for the season. That tied Lockett’s single-season Seahawks record.

Macdonald’s open acknowledgment this past week of these contract bonuses and milestones that were in play Sunday is another instance of the head coach publicly saying something that’s gotten back to the locker room, by design. It’s part of what continues to win the players over to their 37-year-old rookie head man.

“Yeah, you’ve got to appreciate him saying that,” Smith said Thursday, “just being open and honest about it.

“Coach understands. He’s always been that way, and I think that’s what makes him who he is. I think that’s what makes guys respect him. Because he’s honest in his assessment, with everything.

“As far as the milestones...obviously, like I said, man, yeah, you want to hit those. You want to achieve all the things that you can achieve. But well within the respects of the game.

Leonard Williams, sack man

Days after he said he was “disappointed” for not making the NFC Pro Bowl roster, Williams had two sacks of Garoppolo. That gave him 11 for the season, just short of his career high of 11 1/2 with the New York Giants in 2020.

He remarked this week he didn’t make the Pro Bowl that season, either.

Williams’ 11 sacks are the most for a Seahawks since 13 by Frank Clark in 2018.

Julian Love shines

Friday, Julian Love received the 2024 Good Guy Award from the Seattle chapter of the Pro Football Writers Association. That was for his cooperation with and understanding of Seahawks beat writers.

Sunday, Love was an even better guy, on the field.

Love broke up two passes on third downs to end Rams possessions in the first half. Officials initially ruled the first one a forced fumble following a catch by Atwell then Love’s hit, a fumble teammate Ernest Jones recovered at the Rams 32-yard line. But a replay review determined the pass was instead incomplete, broken up by Love before Atwell secured legal possession of the pass.

Then Love fooled Garoppolo, the 11-year veteran, coming up as if to defend the quarterback’s scramble then racing back into coverage near the right sideline. Garoppolo never saw Love and threw a pass he intended for wide receiver Tyler Johnson directly to Seattle’s safety instead.

It was the third interception this season for the 2023 Pro Bowl selection.

Love made another strong play early in the fourth quarter taking away Garoppolo’s first target on a roll-out pass at the goal line. But Los Angeles got the touchdown pass anyway, to Demarcus Robinson running across the back of the end zone against Devon Witherspoon’s coverage.

That made it a 24-22 game. The Rams went for the tie on a two-point conversion try. The always-competitive, feisty Witherspoon was all over Robinson in tight coverage to force an incomplete pass. That kept the Seahawks in the lead with 12:43 remaining.

Seattle lost that lead when the Rams victimized Pritchett again. Wide receiver Jordan Whittington fooled Pritchett on an out-and-up move that had the rookie falling down on the short out. Garoppolo’s pass to the all-alone Whittington for 50 yards set up the Rams’ go-ahead field goal with 7:29 left.

Seattle trailed for the first time in the game, 25-24.

Byron Murphy leaves hurting again

Rookie defensive tackle Byron Murphy played in the first half. He had been questionable with a back injury.

Midway through the second quarter the first-round draft choice left the game. The Seahawks said it was because of the back issue. So ended his rookie season, 2 1/2 quarters early.

Murphy finished with 36 tackles, 12 solo, two tackles for losses, a half sack and one quarterback hit this season.

He was playing 52% of the Seahawks’ defensive snaps entering Sunday’s game.

Tariq Woolen injured

The Seahawks started Tariq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon outside with third safety Rayshawn Jenkins the fifth, nickel defensive back.

When they went with an extra cornerback on the game’s third scrimmage play, Tre Brown was the nickel.

Then Woolen left in the second quarter with injured ribs. Rookie fifth-round pick Pritchett replaced Woolen at cornerback. Burns was the nickel back inside him, with Witherspoon primarily the other outside cornerback. That’s because Brown left with a knee injury he got making a tackle early in the game.

Witherspoon was left chasing tight end Tyler Higbee to the left sideline and end zone on the Rams’ first touchdown, a 6-yard pass from Garoppolo on third down early in the second quarter. That briefly cut Seattle’s lead to 14-10.

Jason Myers’ 56-yard field goal to end the Seahawks’ ensuing possession made it 17-10.

Garoppolo and Rams play-calling head coach Sean McVay targeted Pritchett to swipe three points at the end of the first half. In the final seconds of the second quarter Garoppolo completed a 31-yard pass to Demarcus Robinson past and over Pritchett. That is why Joshua Karty was able to kick a 58-yard field goal on the final play of the half.

It cut Seattle’s lead to 17-13 into the third quarter.

Mike Jerrell starts

With Abe Lucas (abdomen) out, rookie Mike Jerrell from Division-II Findlay was the right tackle in his third NFL start. The sixth-round draft choice last spring debuted and impressed Oct. 20 in Seattle’s win at Atlanta. Jerrell started again Oct. 27 in his team’s home loss to Buffalo.

George Fant started his second game of the season at right tackle Nov. 3 against the Rams, Seattle’s overtime loss. Lucas then returned from the knee surgery he had last winter to start seven games. He got hurt again last week in the Seahawks’ win at Chicago.

Macdonald said Friday the team believes Lucas’ abdominal issue isn’t long-term and that Lucas should have a relatively healthy offseason, especially compared to 12 months ago.