Seattle will have to endure a rematch with the 49ers without its QB1.
Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock will get the start on Sunday with Geno Smith (groin; questionable) unable to go, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per a source.
Smith has since been declared inactive by the Seahawks, but the team will at least have running backs Kenneth Walker (oblique) and Zach Charbonnet (knee), both of whom are active.
Smith hurt his groin in Thursday’s practice, which afterward saw him listed as a limited participant, and he did not practice Friday. Unfortunately, the extra rest was not enough, putting Lock in line for his first start as a Seahawk.
Replacing Smith, who has thrown for 2,918 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions this season, will provide Lock with his first extended action since his days in Denver.
Lock did not take a regular-season snap in 2022, Smith’s breakout Pro Bowl season, and he’s gone 4 of 12 for 66 yards and an interception across two appearances this year.
It’ll prove quite a test for the backup as the hosting 49ers are one of the hottest teams in football with a four-game winning streak, including a 31-13 Thanksgiving Day drubbing of Seattle.
Although the NFC West appears to be slipping away — the Seahawks sit in third and three games behind San Francisco with five left to play — Seattle still has everything to play for from the NFC’s No. 9 seed, two shy of the conference’s final playoff spot.
Lock and Co. will look to score some payback when the Seahawks (6-6) and 49ers (9-3) kick off at 4:05 p.m. ET.