SEATTLE -- The Seattle Seahawks' hopes of making the playoffs were dealt at least one significant blow Sunday night with their loss to the Green Bay Packers -- and maybe another depending on the severity of Geno Smith's knee injury.

The veteran quarterback left midway through the third quarter and did not return, following a low hit by linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said that Smith's knee appears intact structurally, but it is still in the air for him as far as playing next Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings is concerned.

"I'll tell you this, this guy is probably the toughest player I've ever been around," Macdonald said after the Seahawks' 30-13 defeat. "It was severe enough for him not to come back in the game. We'll do all the tests tomorrow and kind of figure it out as we go. But right now, structurally it looks like it's OK, but we've got to get it imaged and all that stuff."

As Smith was throwing the incomplete pass on first down, a diving Cooper hit the back of Smith's right leg, hyper flexing his knee as the cleat got stuck in the turf. Smith was visibly fuming after the hit didn't draw a penalty. He started limping off the field when he stopped to lay there on his back in obviously obvious pain. He was checked in the medical tent, then he limped to the tunnel.

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Cooper said he considered the hit "100 percent clean.".

"He just said I was diving at his ankles, but I was just trying to go get him down," Cooper said. "That was it, simple as that."

Smith jogged back onto the sideline in the fourth quarter with a heavy limp and at one point appeared ready to return to the game, putting his helmet on while standing near the edge of the sideline.

"He wanted to and then he was about to go back," Macdonald said. ". And then he just couldn't go."

Sam Howell struggled badly in relief of Smith, completing only 5 of 14 attempts for 24 yards and an interception. He was sacked four times and pressured on 53% of his dropbacks.

"It wasn't good enough to win," Macdonald said of Howell's performance in his first extended action of the season. "I know he's disappointed. It just didn't feel like we were getting the ball out on time and then it wasn't complemented with our pass protection. I know we gave up a bunch of sacks, and they did a good job, too. They covered the routes and rushed the passer, and it was a complementary game on their end on defense."

How the Seahawks acquired Howell in an offseason trade with the Washington Commanders after he started 17 games last season, he had played only one snap in 2024 before Sunday night. He capped a field goal drive after taking over for Smith, trimming Green Bay's lead to 20-6, and led another touchdown drive to help Seattle pull within 10 points in the fourth quarter. But Nowell's other five drives ended with four punts and an interception to Cooper before Seattle conceded defeat and ran out the clock in the closing seconds.

"I think at the end of the day, I've got to be better," Howell said. "My job is to be ready to go in there and play well and help this team win and I didn't do that today. So I've just got to be better, watch the film, learn from it."

The Seahawks also lost center Olu Oluwatimi in the first half to what Macdonald described as a knee and quad injury. He said he wasn't sure of the severity other than it being enough to keep Oluwatimi from returning. Seattle allowed seven sacks and 12 QB hits in all, one week after allowing zero sacks and only two QB hits in a win over the Arizona Cardinals.

For his part, Howell said he had to get rid of the ball faster.

"At the end of the day, sacks are a quarterback stat," he said. "Got to hit the check-downs a little faster and just get the ball out of my hand before they get to me."

Seahhawks coach Mike Macdonald stated Geno Smith's knee seems to be structurally intact, though he will undergo further testing on Monday. Jane Gershovich/Getty Images

Before Smith left the game, he was 15 of 19 for 149 yards and had his season-high 13th interception, which came off him on an end-zone heave in third-and-inches with Seattle already in plus-one position to score a short-field goal.

According to ESPN Research, it was Smith's fourth red zone interception this season (most in the NFL) and fourth interception on a throw into the end zone (tied for most in the NFL).

"I haven't talked to him about the play, but again, our whole team didn't play good enough to win," Macdonald said. "I'm a part of that, Geno's a part of that, and we've got to learn from it and keep moving forward.

The Seahawks, 8-6, had won four straight coming into Sunday night, moving them into first place in the NFC West. But their loss to Green Bay and the Rams' win Thursday night moves those teams into a tie atop the division, with Los Angeles owning a head-to-head victory. L.A. and Seattle play at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, in Week 18.

It has also placed the Seahawks outside the running in the present playoff. The Commanders are now a game in front of the Seahawks in the competition for the final wild card. Washington still has two more conference victories in the event of tiebreaker.

According to ESPN Analytics, the Seahawks' chances of making the playoffs were set to drop to 45% with a loss Sunday night, which did not take into account Smith's injury and the possibility that Howell might now have to take over.

"That's why we have Sam, to come in and help us win games if he needs to," Macdonald said. "Yeah, it's a tough situation. He hasn't played yet this year. We've got faith in Sam. Guy's a great player. If he gets another opportunity, he'll do a great job."