Geno Smith, Seahawks Earn Long-Awaited Win Over 49ers

The Seattle Seahawks finally got the better of their greatest foe for the first time in three seasons.

Jon Alfano | Nov 19, 2024

Nov 17, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) scores a rushing touchdown past San Francisco 49ers cornerback Isaac Yiadom (22) to win the game in the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

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Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers have probably the best rivalry in the NFC West, but that rivalry has been quite one-sided as of late.

Prior to Sunday, the 49ers had won the past six matchups dating back to 2022, all of them by multiple scores. San Francisco has been a Super Bowl contender over the past few years while Seattle has been a fringe playoff team, and it sadly showed in the rivalry.

On Sunday, though, the Seahawks finally broke the streak with a gutsy 20-17 victory on the road. Geno Smith scrambled for a 13-yard rushing touchdown with 12 seconds left, giving him his first win over San Francisco as Seattle's starter.

“We won, we won the game," Smith said postgame. "We knew how much was at stake, man. We were trying to turn our season around. We had a bye week and we got eight games ahead of us to put ourselves in positions that we want to be in. This is just a step in the right direction for us. I was very ecstatic and happy for that.”

While Smith said it was "just one game," the weight of this victory isn't lost on him or his teammates.

“It was long overdue," cornerback Devon Witherspoon said. "They beat us many times without us getting a W and today we came out and we got a W today. So it was long overdue.”

The Seahawks had lost five of their last six games prior to Sunday's upset win, and they hope it can spark a mid-season turnaround. Of course, they know they still have a lot of work ahead of them, though.

“I think it definitely has a positive effect on your team," Smith said. "We're thinking about winning our division and everyone is pretty much right around the same record. That’s why the next seven games are going to be that much bigger. They're going to feel like playoff games because we're fighting to get into the playoffs. We just have to continue to fight, continue to stick together. I think positive things will always happen for us."