‘Pissed’ Geno Smith admits seeing ex-teammate KJ Wright on 49ers sideline gave him extra motivation to win
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith scrambled to score the game-winning touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers.
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Geno Smith did not appreciate former teammate KJ Wright as a a part of the rival San Francisco 49ers coaching staff (Image via Imago/X)
The Seattle Seahawks were supposed to be contending for a playoff spot this season. They have tried, but recent losses have made it more difficult for them. However, for Geno Smith, something during the game against the San Francisco 49ers helped flip that switch.
All throughout the first half, the Seahawks struggled to get their offense going. Two field goals aside, the only reason they were in touching distance of the 49ers was due to their defense. They stopped last year’s Super Bowl finalists on four out of their five drives.
Then in the second half, both teams traded blows. But the differentiator was Smith’s early interception and the 49ers scoring a field goal off it. But with a little more than two minutes left in the game, Geno Smith channeled a motivation that helped him flipped a switch.
Somewhere in the third quarter, I looked over to their bench and I saw KJ (Wright) standing over there. I was like, ‘What the…’. I’m like, ‘Man, we gotta beat these boys’. I saw KJ. It just kinda pissed me off a little bit. He’s a Seahawk man. He shouldn’t have those colors on.
Geno Smith said on the Richard Sherman Podcast
"I saw K.J. – it just kinda pissed me off"@GenoSmith3 tells @RSherman_25 he got some extra motivation seeing K.J. Wright on the 49ers sideline pic.twitter.com/ZeyxgNXIp7
— Richard Sherman Podcast (@RShermanPodcast) November 19, 2024
For the two-time Pro Bowler, seeing his former teammate and the longtime Seattle Seahawks defensive mainstay be a part of a rival team’s coaching staff was too much to take. It made him burn inside as KJ Wright was very much part of the Seahawks when that rivalry took shape.
Geno Smith used KJ Wright motivation to down San Francisco 49ers
KJ Wright was a part of the vaunted Seattle Seahawks defense that helped the franchise win its only Super Bowl to date. The Legion of Boom’s toughness and attitude established the rivalry with the San Francisco 49ers.
Smith was one of the last players to have access to Wright or any other Legion of Boom member. Therefore, even if new head coach Mike Macdonald wanted that history to be replaced with a new one, the 34-year-old still had it on his mind.
That helped Smith shake his early half interception and motivate his team to score their first touchdown of the game. When the team fell back again, he steadied himself to drive 60 yards down the field to the 49ers side.
Then, as he saw his no huddle offense threw the 49ers’ defense off-guard, he ran into the end zone untouched. Then, he did something to remind everyone that the rivalry was very much alive. He used Stephen Curry’s night-night celebration to pour salt over the home crowd’s wounds.
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Joseph Varghese
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