Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith hobbled off the field late in the first half on Monday night, missing two series due to an incident near the sideline involving New York Giants linebacker Isaiah Simmons.
Smith sustained a knee injury during a tackle that he considered questionable. Although he briefly stayed in the game for one more play, he soon received medical attention in the tent.
Expressing his frustration, Smith labeled the play as “dirty” and emphasized that such actions have no place in the sport.
He voiced his relief at being able to return to the game for the second half, despite receiving a taunting penalty when he came back in the third quarter.
Even though the Seahawks won the game 24-3 and were heading into a bye week with a 3-1 record, Smith remained upset. He completed 13-of-20 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown but continued to express his displeasure with the tackle. Smith criticized the unnecessary roughness in the game, especially when players are pushed out of bounds.
Upon his return, Smith appeared to be moving gingerly on his injured knee, but he assured reporters that it wasn’t a major issue, saying, “I’m fine. God is good.”
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll’s main concern seemed to be how Smith was tackled rather than the location of the play. He described the tackle as dangerous and suggested that a penalty might not have fully addressed the situation but could have warranted further review.
However, the Giants defended their actions, claiming that the tackle was clean. Isaiah Simmons argued that he was merely trying to make a tackle, and Smith had been running for yards after catching his own pass. He stressed that no one on the field intended to harm another player and that they were all focused on playing hard and winning.
Initially, Smith believed it was safety Xavier McKinney who made the questionable tackle and exchanged words with him later in the series. McKinney, on the other hand, wasn’t too concerned about the incident, stating that he thought the hit was fine and that Smith would recover from it.
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