Seattle Seahawks' Russell Wilson to miss several weeks after surgery on injured finger

Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Seattle Seahawks star quarterback Russell Wilson is facing a lengthy absence after undergoing surgery on his injured finger Friday.

League sources told ESPN, NFL Media and the Tacoma News Tribune that Wilson could miss at least four weeks and possibly up to eight weeks because of a ruptured tendon in the middle finger of his right hand. According to the outlets, the right-handed quarterback required screws to stabilize the finger.

Wilson sustained the injury during Thursday night's loss to the division rival Los Angeles Rams. While he was following through on a pass attempt, Wilson's hand clipped the wrist of Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald.

ESPN reported that Wilson traveled from Seattle to Los Angeles earlier Friday to meet with a hand specialist and determine the best course of action. The decision for Wilson to have the procedure done was made with the signal-caller's long-term health in mind.

Dr. Steven Shin, who is based out of Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics in Los Angeles, performed the surgery, according to NFL Media.

The finger procedure will sideline Wilson for the first time in his NFL career when the Seahawks play the Pittsburgh Steelers next week. The eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback had a streak of 149 consecutive starts -- dating back to his rookie season in 2012.

In Wilson's absence, the Seahawks (2-3) will turn to veteran backup Geno Smith to keep their playoff aspirations alive. Smith completed 10 of 17 passes for 132 yards with one touchdown and an interception in place of Wilson against the Rams.

"I totally trust that Geno can do this and I think you saw it [Thursday] night in a really difficult situation," Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said. "He really understands the system, so we'll be able to stay with the preparation and that'll help everybody.

"Geno makes guys around him feel confident and feel comfortable and I thought that was a great showing."

The 30-year-old Smith is in his third season with the Seahawks and has primarily been relegated to mop-up duty. His last NFL start came in 2017 as a member of the New York Giants.