Terse Geno Smith after 2 picks in Seahawks’ latest loss to 49ers: ‘Watch the film, man’

This was a measuring-stick game early in the Seahawks’ new Mike Macdonald Era.

The 49ers took that stick, showed Seattle how far down it is from them. Then, they beat the Seahawks with it.

As usual.

Geno Smith has started five times against San Francisco in his three seasons as Seattle’s quarterback. That includes his first career playoff start, at the end of the only Pro Bowl season of his 12-year career.

And he still can’t beat the 49ers. No Seahawk can.

Seattle lost on Thursday night 36-24 to the 49ers, the NFC West kings they must beat to get where they seek to go. It was the Seahawks’ sixth consecutive loss to San Francisco.

After it, Smith was as ticked off as he was picked off.

Smith (30 for 52, 312 yards) was asked about his two interceptions, one that killed a Seattle touchdown drive to the goal line and the other that gifted San Francisco a TD.

Then he was asked: What is it about the 49ers that you guys have so much trouble with in the last (six) games?

“We lost just one game today. How many games we lost today? One?” Smith said.

It only felt like more.

“Yeah,” Smith said, “so we lost one today.”

They’ve lost three in a row over the last 11 days.

The Monday-Sunday-Thursday gauntlet of games looked daunting when the schedule came out this spring. But rookie coach Mike Macdonald and his team didn’t realize it would be this bad.

The Seahawks lost at Detroit and to the New York Giants and San Francisco at home in those 10 days. The Giants and 49ers come into Seattle with losing records.

“Yeah, it’s a beast. It’s just a beast. It’s tough, for sure,” said Pro Bowl safety Julian Love, who played despite an injured thigh. “But, I know some guys that really take care of their bodies. Right now we’re a little banged up, obviously. Some guys went down again today. We just to get more reinforcements back and just really attack this thing.”

Love was attacking the ball on Deebo Samuel’s 76-yard touchdown catch that put Seattle in a 10-0 hole early in the second quarter. The play was one of many mistakes by the Seahawks defense: What Macdonald said was a coverage breakdown outside right. That’s where Tre Brown started at cornerback in place of injured Riq Woolen .

Niners play caller and coach Kyle Shanahan exploited that.

He had Samuel run across the field into open space vacated by Brown going with a 49ers receiver on a deeper, inside-breaking route. That left Samuel running down the left sideline alone. Love played off the center of the field and raced to Samuel. Love got there as Brock Purdy’s underthrown pass arrived.

Samuel saw the pass was short and to the inside. He saw Love charging to him. He deftly leaped inside and to the ball, inside Love’s jump. That caused Seattle’s safety to whiff on both the ball and tackling Samuel. The Niners’ receiver raced free the final 50 yards for his first score this season.

“Great scheme, great route versus the scheme we were in,” Love said. “He kind of broke free a little bit, and then I took a poor angle. Poor angle, going for the ball. He came back to it pretty well. Great play by him. I just got to get him on the ground. So, that one’s on me. Now I owe this team a few more plays.

“It’s a beast (to have to make that cover). That’s my job, though. It’s the balance between going for the ball and going for the tackle. I was breaking like it was a good thrown ball, but it was underthrown. So, I rounded my break, and Deebo was able to get in front of me, and I didn’t have the right angle.

“Tough,” Love said, “but that’s my job.”

Geno Smith’s interceptions

With all the defense screwed up — allowing 228 yards rushing to San Francisco’s third- and fourth-string running backs, allowing Purdy to escape what should have been multiple sacks as the 49ers rolled up 483 total yards — Smith’s two interceptions doomed any chance Seattle had of rallying to win.

They were his fifth and sixth interceptions in six games.

On his first pick Thursday, he got hit by Nick Bosa, who overpowered Seahawks third-string right tackle Stone Forsythe. Smith’s affected throw sailed far over Tyler Lockett for a Niners interception at their 1-yard line to end Seattle’s first possession of the game. Instead of the Seahawks taking an early leads, its defense then allowed the 49ers to drive 90 yards in 13 plays to a first-score field goal.

Smith’s second interception came in the fourth quarter with Seattle rallying from down 23-3 to within 23-17. Lumen Field was rocking, and the Seahawks owned the game’s momentum. Smith threw a crossing route as planned to DK Metcalf. Metcalf saw San Francisco cornerback Renardo Green read and jump that crossing route. So Metcalf improvised and ran deep, behind Green. Smith didn’t sense or read the improvisation. He didn’t throw longer. Green intercepted the shorter pass over the middle in front of Metcalf.

The 49ers turned that turnover into Purdy’s touchdown pass to George Kittle for a 29-17 lead with 6 1/2 minutes left.

Smith was terse when asked about the interception, too.

“It was an interception, man. We all saw it,” the QB said. “Bad play by me.”

An underthrown ball to Metcalf in the first half?

“Watch the film, man. Watch the film,” Smith said. “You’ll see it.”