SEATTLE (AP) — Geno Smith entered the week as the NFL leader in pass attempts. He threw the ball another 34 times on Sunday, three of them resulting in interceptions.
And the pass-happy Seahawks are becoming an afterthought in the NFC.
Smith threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's 26-20 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but the three picks were backbreakers and Seattle continued to be inefficient in the run game.
“They put a lot of trust in me with my decision-making and when they put the ball in my hands,” Smith said. “When my teammates play the way that they played today and give us a shot to win the game, I’ve got to make sure we do. The things I did today, the mistakes I made, they affected us negatively and really cost us the game today.”
The Seahawks (4-5) have lost four straight at home and five of six overall under first-year coach Mike Macdonald, and they fell into last place in the closely contested NFC West as they enter their bye week.
“We’re doing everything in our power and then some to create a nightmare at home,” Mike Macdonald said. “And right now we’re not doing it, so we’re going to go to work. So the bye week, it’s a big week for us to get better.”
Kamren Kitchens had two of the picks against Smith, both in the fourth quarter in the red zone, and Kitchens returned the first one 103 yards for a touchdown.
Seattle entered the game near the bottom of the league in rushing offense and improved slightly by rushing for 107 yards against the Rams. But the Seahawks needed 33 carries to reach that total, an average of 3.2 yards per rush. And the Rams stuffed Kenneth Walker III for no gain on consecutive plays on the first possession of overtime to set up their game-winning drive.
“That was the play call we liked, we like the look,” Macdonald said. “We’ve got to be able to get a half-yard in two shots. Great football teams convert third- and fourth-and-short, and right now we’re not doing that.”
Seattle's offense piled up some impressive numbers, finishing with 424 total yards. Second-year receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba had seven catches for a career-best 180 yards and two touchdowns with top wideout DK Metcalf sidelined by a sprained knee.
And the Seahawks tried to stay balanced by handing the ball to Walker 25 times, but he never broke off a big one. His longest rush went for 10 yards and he finished with 83.
Smith said the Seahawks have ample opportunity to achieve their goals this season.
“Eight games to go get it,” Smith said. “Everything we’ve worked for in the offseason, all the hard work we put in throughout the week, it’s this final stretch, this eight-game stretch is what it’s about.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) passes against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of an NFL football game in Seattle, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) celebrates quarterback Geno Smith (7) and teammates during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams in Seattle, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, right, catches a pass in front of Los Angeles Rams cornerback Cobie Durant (14) during the second half of an NFL football game in Seattle, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) reacts during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams in Seattle, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ticketed fans in Georgia and Notre Dame gear packed a plaza adjacent to the Superdome, enjoyed music under clear skies — and under the watch of snipers on rooftops — before filtering into the stadium for Thursday afternoon's College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl.
“It was a lot of fun. It felt safe, “said Shannon Horsey, a Georgia fan in her 40s who lives in Austin, Texas. ”Coming in they searched by bag thoroughly. So I felt like, OK, they're really paying attention."
She was in New Orleans with her husband, Joe, a 48-year-old Georgia graduate, and their teenage children, Jack and Zoe.
They extended their stay after the game, originally scheduled for Wednesday night, was postponed because of an attack in which a man drove a pickup truck into crowds in the French Quarter, killing 14 New Year’s revelers before police killed the attacker in a shootout. Dozens more were injured.
“We can see the presence up on the rooftop," Horsey said, pointing at a sniper above Champions Square. "So, I kind of felt like this is probably one of the safest places to be in the city.”
Joe Horsey found the pregame crowd larger than he expected but, also found the "energy lower than a normal football game.”
“You could sense the musicians trying to get people riled up. People are kind of going through the paces, a little bit in shock, but trying to make the best out of the day,” he said.
It also seemed to Horsey that opposing fans were being a little more polite to one another than at a typical game.
“SEC football can get nasty on game day and can get a little raucous," he said. "But there's a little different sense of civility and that there's bigger things than football.”
Flags were at half-staff outside nearby government buildings in memory of those killed in the attack, which has been labeled by authorities an act of terrorism.
The attack occurred on Bourbon Street, which runs through the heart of the French Quarter and is famously lined with bars, restaurants and clubs, near the corner of Canal Street, a main downtown artery.
The crime scene, which was gradually being cleared so it could be reopened to the public on Thursday afternoon, is about a mile’s walk from the Superdome.
Security was ramped up in and around the stadium.
Police blocked regular traffic from passing by the main Superdome entrance on Poydras Street, an eight-lane downtown artery.
A helicopter circled overhead.
Numerous security officers around the 70,000-seat stadium were handling dogs trained to sniff for explosive devices. They encircled cars entering the Superdome parking garage and in some cases sniffed bags and backpacks.
The game, originally scheduled for 7:45 p.m. CST on Wednesday, was pushed back to 3 p.m. Thursday, with the winner advancing to the Jan. 9 Orange Bowl against Fiesta Bowl winner Penn State. It was the first time the Sugar Bowl had been postponed in its 91-year history (although it had been relocated at the end of the 2005 season because of Hurricane Katrina).
Mark Oldani, a 58-year-old Nashville resident and 1988 graduate of Notre Dame, took a group photo for a gathering of Georgia fans in from of the Superdome.
The crowd was “friendly, nobody yelling back and forth at each other,” he said. “I think everybody's coming in hoping for a good game and wanting to make the most of a really difficult situation.”
Before the singing of the national anthem, a moment of silence, lasting close to half a minute, was held.
While many traveling fans extended their stay to attend the game, the postponement meant some would not be able to attend because of travel plans that were deemed too expensive or logistically difficult to change.
Numerous tickets were listed for resale online at prices of $30 or less, some as low as $23.
Postponing the game “was absolutely the right call,” said Lisa Borrelli, a 34-year-old Philadelphia resident who came to New Orleans with her fiancé, a 2011 Notre Dame graduate, but could not stay for the game.
She said they paid more than $250 per ticket and weren't sure if they'd bother listing them for resale because prices were so low.
“Of course we’re disappointed to miss it and to lose so much money on it, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter,” Borrelli said. “We’re fortunate enough that we’ll be fine.”
The Superdome also is scheduled to host the Super Bowl on Feb. 9.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Street view of Superdome ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
A state trooper stands by New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon streets, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
FBI personnel arrive at the Caesars Superdome ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Cory Hunter flips a coin on Bourbon Street, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Law enforcement gather in front of the Sonesta Hotel on Bourbon Street, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Tourist walk past temporary barriers on Bourbon Street, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Local SWAT teams patrol outside the Caesars Superdome ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Fans pass through security check points as they enter the Superdome fan zone ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Fans pass through security check points as they enter the Caesars Superdome fan zone ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Fans pass through security check points as they enter the Superdome fan zone ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Security with bomb sniffing dogs check vehicles as they enter the Superdome ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Local SWAT teams patrol outside the Caesars Superdome ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
An aerial overall exterior general view of Caesars Superdome, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman)
Security and bomb sniffing dogs check backpacks before entering the Superdome ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Security and bomb sniffing dogs check vehicles as they enter the Superdome parking garage ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Security with bomb sniffing dogs patrol the area around the Superdome ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Security and bomb sniffing dogs check vehicles as they enter the Superdome parking garage ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
