Game Recap: Geno Smith's Career Day Lifts Seahawks Past Rams in Season Finale

Quarterback Geno Smith threw four touchdown passes and the Seattle Seahawks outlasted the Los Angeles Rams 30-25 in Week 18.

Connor Benintendi | Jan 5, 2025

Jan 5, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks Quarterback (7) SoFi Stadium for the Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams Week 18 matchup. / William Navarro-Imagn Images

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Seattle Seahawks

Geno Smith threw a career-high four touchdown passes in the season finale and the Seattle Seahawks hung on to defeat the Los Angeles Rams 30-25 on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

Seattle reached double-digit wins (10-7 overall record) for the first time since 2020, and Mike Macdonald became the first coach in franchise history to meet that mark in his first season.

The Seahawks will be the only team this season to win 10 or more games and not make the playoffs of the 15 teams that did so.

The Rams (10-7), who sat nearly their entire starting lineup on offense, fell from the third seed to the fourth with the loss. They will face the loser of the Sunday night showdown between the Minnesota Vikings (14-2) and Detroit Lions (14-2).

Smith completed 20 of 27 passes for 223 yards with his four touchdown passes. He surpassed his own single-season records for passing yards (4,320), completions (407) and completion percentage (70.4 percent).

Running backs Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh rushed 21 times for 108 yards, moving Seattle to 8-1 when running the ball 20 or more times this season.

In another peculiar final tally, the Seahawks tied their franchise-best record on the road, finishing 7-1 when away from Lumen Field this season. Seattle was just 3-6 at home.

The Seahawks took an early 14-3 lead over the Rams via a pair of touchdown passes from Geno Smith, who entered the game in pursuit of $6 million in contract incentives broken into $2 million segments. He raked in all of that cash by posting one of the best games of his career.

Wide receiver Jake Bobo caught the first score — his first touchdown of the season — on a back-shoulder goal line fade to put the Seahawks up 7-0.

The Seahawks’ defense surrendered a Rams field goal on the next drive, but Smith and Seattle responded with a 7-play, 70-yard drive that was capped by a 20-yard touchdown catch by DK Metcalf.

The sixth-year receiver dropped a would-be touchdown two plays earlier but capitalized on a second opportunity. It was just Metcalf’s second score in Seattle’s final eight games.

LA kept it close, coming right back with its own long touchdown drive. Rams quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo drove them 78 yards and punctuated the drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Higbee.

Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen was injured as Higbee plunged into the end zone, and he didn’t return to the game. Rookie defensive tackle Byron Murphy II was also ruled out in the second quarter with a back injury.

Despite an interception by Seahawks safety Julian Love giving Seattle an extra opportunity, both teams traded field goals before halftime. Seattle held a slim 17-13 lead at the break.

Rams kicker Joshua Karty was excellent all game, converting a 58-yard field goal in the first half before drilling a 57-yarder in the third quarter to trim Seattle’s lead to one point.

Mounting a drive that was fueled by a 32-yard catch-and-lateral from Jaxon Smith-Njigba to Charbonnet, the Seahawks extended their lead once again. Rookie tight end AJ Barner caught his fourth touchdown of the season on a 4-yard catch.

Jan 5, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks AJ Barner (88) celebrates a touchdown completion at SoFi Stadium as the Seattle Seahawks face off versus Los Angeles Rams Week 18 matchup. / William Navarro-Imagn Images

Smith-Njigba’s reception on that play was his fourth and last of the game, ending the season with 100 receptions to tie Tyler Lockett’s single-season franchise record. That play came with 7:42 remaining in the third quarter, but the second-year receiver wasn’t targeted again.

But a backup Rams offense refused to go away. Garoppolo tossed his second passing touchdown of the game on a 4-yard score to Tyler Johnson just over two minutes into the second quarter. After a failed two-point conversion attempt and a Seahawks punt, Karty drilled a 38-yard field goal to give LA its first lead of the game, 25-24.

Seahawks tight end Noah Fant caught his first touchdown in two seasons on a high-flying, back-breaking catch just beyond the goal line after having his legs taken out from under him.

Even though Fant was shaken up, Seattle took a 30-25 lead with 3:19 left in the game on Smith’s fourth touchdown pass of the day to give the 11th-year signal-caller a new career best.

Macdonald’s defense had to make one more stop to end the season on a high note. Garoppolo and the Rams drove to Seattle’s 16-yard line in eight plays, needing a touchdown.

After stopping LA wide receiver Tutu Atwell three yards short of the sticks on third down, the Rams had one final gasp on 4th and 3 with 21 seconds remaining.

Garoppolo fired a bullet to his hot hand, Jordan Whittington, but it was broken up by Seahawks cornerback Artie Burns to end the game. Whittington still finished with a game-high 86 receiving yards on three catches.

Smith-Njigba Nearly Makes History

Smith-Njigba may have fallen short of the catch record, but he at least shares a piece of it with Lockett, who ranks second in franchise history in almost every major receiving category. Seattle has just scratched the surface of Smith-Njigba’s ceiling.

With nine receiving yards in the game, Smith-Njigba totaled 1,130 receiving yards on the season — two yards ahead of Doug Baldwin’s 2016 season to post the 12th-most in one season by a Seahawks receiver.

Macdonald’s First Season: Success or Failure?

Jan 5, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Mike Macdonald on the sidelines in the fourth quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

A playoff berth would have undeniably made this season a success in the eyes of the most demanding fans. But the Seahawks fell short for the second straight season and third time in four years.

Seattle moved on from Pete Carroll after 14 years following three straight seasons of less than 10 wins. They missed the playoffs in two of those campaigns.

So, does 10 wins in Macdonald’s first season mark a step in the right direction, or a failure to produce a Super Bowl run the front office thought this team could make under the right leadership?

Regardless of opinions, there was progress with the youngest coach in the NFL. Culture isn’t established in one season. Macdonald will enter his first offseason as Seattle’s head coach and have nearly nine months to prepare for 2025 with 17 games ready for review.