SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Geno Smith crossed the goal line for the winning touchdown with 12 seconds left, bounced around beyond the end zone in jubilation and then fired the football toward the Levi's Stadium tunnel.
"Pure adrenaline right there," Smith said. "Pure adrenaline."
The Seattle Seahawks' quarterback was only kidding when he called that his best throw from the team's 20-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. But it might have been the most satisfying one he has made in a while given how badly the Seahawks needed the win that Smith helped deliver with his latest crunch-time efforts.
The Seahawks had lost five of their past six games to fall to 4-5 and last place in the highly competitive NFC West. The archrival 49ers had beaten them six straight times in mostly dominant fashion, outscoring Seattle 184-96. Smith was their starter for five of those losses, helping fuel skepticism among observers -- and perhaps within the organization -- about his viability as their long-term answer at quarterback as he approaches a contract year in 2025.
That helps explain the emotion Smith (25-of-32, 221 yards) showed after he scrambled for a 13-yard touchdown that capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive -- and potentially saved Seattle's season.
"We won the game," Smith said of what he was feeling in the moment. "We knew how much was at stake. We're trying to turn our season around. We had a bye week and we've got eight games ahead of us to put ourselves in the position that we want to be in, so this is just a step in the right direction for us. I was very ecstatic and happy for that."
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald described Smith as "dynamite" on the final drive. For much of the day before that, though, Seattle's offense was a dud.
The Seahawks scored only three points after an interception set them up with a short field in the second quarter, losing nine yards on the drive. Another botched shotgun snap later in the first half -- this one by Olu Oluwatimi, the replacement for newly retired Connor Williams -- led to a 17-yard loss and a punt. Smith was intercepted for the 11th time this season -- tied for most in the NFL -- on an errant scramble throw in the third quarter. Running back Zach Charbonnet was stuffed on fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter, reminiscent of the short-yardage failures that cost the Seahawks in their Week 9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
This game would have gone like all the others against the 49ers in recent seasons if not for the Seahawks' defense keeping them in it.
They bounced back from an early San Francisco touchdown drive by forcing a turnover on the next possession, with 325-pound defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins coming down with an interception on a tipped pass by cornerback Devon Witherspoon. They flew to the ball, which helped them hold 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey to 79 rushing yards on 19 attempts and give up only one play of longer than 14 yards. And while the 49ers converted seven of 11 third-down tries, the Seahawks got off the field when they had to, forcing a punt to get the ball back to Smith and the offense for the winning drive.
"We're doing the things that we do best, and we make other teams have to play off us," Witherspoon said of the improvement Seattle's defense has shown the past two games. "I think that's really what it is. Mike, man, he's been in his bag lately, and we're just bringing it to life. Appreciate Coach Macdonald."
The Seahawks had one timeout and 2:38 on the clock when they took over on their final drive. Smith completed 7 of 8 attempts for 54 yards. That included four completions for 38 yards to second-year receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who converted a pair of third downs. Smith also had a 16-yard run in addition to his scramble touchdown.
According to ESPN Research, it was Smith's seventh winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime since the start of the 2022 season. That's tied for most in the NFL in that span.
"It takes everybody to win," Smith said. "Obviously I get the stat, but without the guys around me, it wouldn't be possible. Games are going to be close in this league, and like I say, put the ball in my hands."
An eventful week in Seattle began with the Seahawks returning from their bye and surprisingly waiving linebacker Tyrel Dodson, who had started all nine games and was leading the team in tackles. It continued with Williams abruptly retiring at age 27, the latest blow to Seattle's embattled offensive line. And it ended with what Macdonald called a "big-time win."
"We all knew that was a big game for obvious reasons," Macdonald said. "I'm just really proud of the guys sticking in there. I thought all the points of emphasis we made throughout the last couple of weeks trying to take the next step as a football team really showed up."