Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback Geno Smith was outstanding in Sunday’s Week 11 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Smith completed 25 of 32 passing attempts for 221 yards. More importantly, he rushed for the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter with mere seconds remaining in a then-tie game.
Smith recently joined the Richard Sherman Podcast to discuss his performance. Smith told Sherman that he was especially motivated to end his winless streak versus the 49ers when he looked towards their sideline and noticed ex-Seahawk linebacker KJ Wright. Wright is a defensive quality control coach on Kyle Shanahan’s staff.
“I was actually just smiling as I was running on the field for that last [game-winning] drive,” Smith told Seahawks legend Richard Sherman in response to a question about his performance. “I knew we were going to win. Sometime in the third quarter, I looked over at their bench and saw KJ [Wright] standing there. I was like what the…? We have to beat these guys. When I saw KJ, it just kind of pissed me off. He’s a Seahawk. He shouldn’t have those [49ers] colors on.”
Geno Smith on seeing longtime Seahawks LB & now 49ers assistant LB coach KJ Wright at yesterday’s game:
“Somewhere in the third quarter I had looked over to their bench and I saw KJ standing over there and I was like ‘what the’, and I’m like ‘man, we just gotta beat these… pic.twitter.com/Dr26pIThOr
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) November 18, 2024
Wright was drafted by the Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He enjoyed an illustrious 10-year career (2011-20) in Seattle, winning Super Bowl XLVIII for the franchise. Wright was also named to the 2016 Pro Bowl. He ranks second in franchise history in tackles with 593 takedowns, trailing just Bobby Wagner (915).
Smith is correct. It hurts seeing Wright sporting 49ers colors. Smith found appropriate motivation and spearheaded Seattle to a massive NFC West victory over their arch rival 49ers.
