Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson injured the middle finger on his throwing hand Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams and was replaced by Geno Smith in the fourth quarter of the team's 26-17 loss.
Following the game, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said Wilson suffered a "badly sprained finger" and there is no recovery timetable.
"He's got a badly sprained finger that we need to figure out," Carroll said. "There's work to be done in accessing all of that. Russell's one of the great healers of all time and he'll do whatever he can to get back as soon as absolutely possible. The other side of that, Geno did a really good job, very much in command, we were able to do all kinds of things with him out there. He handled all of the communications beautifully and played really well. We had a chance to win the football game with all of that."
Wilson did not speak to reporters following the game.
The Seahawks quarterback was originally designated as questionable to return, but never came back into the game. He could be seen for the remainder of the contest walking the sideline, gripping a football.
Wilson fired a deep pass in the second half, and his hand clipped the wrist of Rams star defensive lineman Aaron Donald as he followed through.
Trainers examined the injury on the sideline, as the finger appeared to be out of joint and he returned for a drive, but was then replaced by Smith. Wilson's final drive was a three-and-out that was the last offensive possession for Seattle in the third quarter. Smith took over to begin the final stanza.
"He wasn't able to hold onto the football the way he needed to to throw it," Carroll clarified as the determining factor of pulling Wilson from the game.
Prior to leaving, Wilson had completed 11 of 16 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown.
Upon replacing Wilson, Smith drove the Seahawks on a 98-yard scoring drive that culminated with a TD pass to DK Metcalf. Smith finished the game completing 10 of 17 passes for 131 yards, the touchdown and an interception to Nick Scott that essentially sealed the Rams' win.
The Seahawks will play the host Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6 on Sunday night. Wilson has started 148 games straight to start his career, which has seen seven Pro Bowl selections and a Super Bowl won.
There will be many sleepless nights ahead in Seattle as the Seahawks look to determine the severity of their quarterback's injury and his availability going forward.
