Geno Smith was back in practice on Thursday as the Seattle Seahawks prepare for their Monday Night Football game with the Philadelphia Eagles, but there is no guarantee he will be the starting quarterback in a crucial primetime encounter.

Smith missed the Seahawks' 28-16 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers last week because of a groin injury he sustained in practice.

Drew Lock made his first Seahawks start in Smith's absence but could not prevent Seattle being swept by the 49ers for the second successive season. Lock completed 71 percent of his passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns but also threw two interceptions as the Seahawks dropped to 6-7.

Seattle is only out of the final Wild Card spot on a tiebreaker having lost its last four in a row but is not expected to arrest that slide despite the Eagles' recent slump, which has seen Philadelphia blown out by the 49ers and Dallas Cowboys in successive weeks.

Smith was back in practice in a limited capacity on Thursday to give the Seahawks a boost, but head coach Pete Carroll said ahead of that session he would mix up the reps to ensure Seattle is prepared for either quarterback starting.

Last season's Comeback Player of the Year, Smith went through Thursday's walkthrough with no issues and Carroll said: "We’ll mix reps to make sure that everybody is prepared, but that’s a good sign for us. 

"Hoping for Geno’s sake, he wants to play in the worst way. That’s where it is, and we’re ready to get cranked up and go."

Smith's mobility will naturally be a question against an extremely talented Philadelphia defensive front, but Carroll had no concerns in that area of the game.

"He was fine. He did everything. He moved around just fine," Carroll said. "It was a walkthrough. He feels really good. He’s ready to go."

Carroll similarly has no worries over the elbow injury that Smith fought through in Seattle's home loss to San Francisco on Thanksgiving, adding: "It’s not even a factor. As far as I know, that’s not even an issue."

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