Geno Smith, Seahawks Called Out by NFL Twitter for 'Imploding' in Loss to 49ers

A disastrous second half for the Seattle Seahawks led to the San Francisco 49ers defeating their NFC West rivals 41-23 in their Wild Card matchup on Saturday.

Almost nothing went right for Seattle after taking a 17-16 halftime lead.

The defense allowed San Francisco to score touchdowns on each of its first three drives as quarterback Brock Purdy (332 passing yards, three touchdowns), running back Christian McCaffrey (136 total yards, one score) and wideout Deebo Samuel (166 total yards, one score) ran over the Seahawks.

It would have been four in a row if not for wideout Brandon Aiyuk dropping a pass in the end zone on the fourth drive, which ended in a field goal.

Meanwhile, Seattle's first three second-half drives ended with a Geno Smith fumble after a Charles Omenihu sack, a three-and-out and a Smith interception courtesy of Deommodore Lenoir.

The Seahawks finally got on board after halftime after Smith found DK Metcalf for a three-yard touchdown with 1:48 remaining in regulation. By that point, the game was well out of reach, and the 49ers ran out the clock in response.

Seattle ultimately had a tremendous season after entering the 2022 campaign with very low expectations following its release of nine-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner and its trade of nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos.

The 32-year-old Smith, who may be the league's Comeback Player of the Year, finished the season completing an NFL-high 69.8 percent of his passes for 30 touchdowns (11 interceptions) and 4,282 yards. He finished fifth in quarterback rating and sixth in ESPN's QBR mark.

It was a remarkable performance for a player who hadn't been a full-time starter since 2014 with the New York Jets, and the Seahawks followed his lead. They went 9-8 and earned the NFC's final playoff spot after finishing ninth in the NFL in scoring.

The Seahawks' fight continued on Saturday, and this was a closely contested game for 30 minutes thanks in part to this 50-yard toss from Smith to Metcalf:

However, the game got away from them very quickly in the second half, and Twitter took note.

This was a tough end to the season for the Seahawks, but they have a bright future, especially with the team holding the No. 5 (and either No. 19 or 20) overall picks in the 2023 NFL draft. In addition, the team also plans to bring Smith back for next season, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. If he can continue his magic into next year, then Seattle should be right back in playoff contention again.