Smith expected to play against 49ers

RENTON, Wash. — Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says he believes quarterback Geno Smith will be able to recover from an arm injury in time for Thursday’s game against San Francisco.

Speaking Monday on his weekly radio show on KIRO-AM, Carroll said Smith suffered a contusion to the tendon where the triceps meets the elbow in a 17-16 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Smith was injured in the second half on a hit from Aaron Donald.

Asked if Smith would be ready for the 49ers, Carroll said, “I would think so.”

“It’s a good sign that he’s functional, so that’s not the issue. It’s just how sore he is,” Carroll said.

Smith was replaced by Drew Lock for two drives in the fourth quarter, but Smith returned for Seattle’s final possession and completed 3 of 5 passes to get into field-goal range, but Jason Myers missed a 55-yard attempt in the final seconds.

Smith finished 22-of-34 for 233 yards and one touchdown.

“We’ll see how he responds the next couple of days, but it was a good sign that he was functional and could throw the football all right,” Carroll said.

Smith was hurt on the second-to-last play of the third quarter when defensive lineman Aaron Donald and outside linebacker Ochaun Mathis hit his right elbow.

Smith said it came down to pain tolerance whether or not he would be able to come back in, though he admitted there was concern the injury could be more serious.

“Really just had to do my best to fight through the pain,” Smith said. “Just try my best to just fight through it and keep going.”

On the final drive, Seattle could only get close enough for Myers’ fieldgoal attempt, in part because of an ill-timed technical glitch on the previous play.

Smith lost communication with the sideline after completing a 21-yard pass. With time of the essence, Smith called a quick run up the middle by Zach Charbonnet that gained 2 yards.

“I thought we had a chance and (it) really didn’t work out how we thought it would,” Smith said of the final sequence.

Smith said a malfunction with the in-helmet radio system can and does occur.