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Alex Smith Moves on to Seattle

Alex Smith woke up Monday morning thinking about Sunday’s 26-3 loss to the New York Giants. But Smith and the 49ers only have one way to get rid of that taste in their mouths: by working hard this week.

The 49ers signal-caller was already knee-deep in preparations for Thursday night’s matchup vs. the Seattle Seahawks when he addressed reporters at his locker on Monday afternoon.

“Consciously, obviously putting this one away quick with the quick turnaround Thursday,” Smith said. “After a loss like that, yeah in some ways it’s nice because you can’t dwell on it, even as a team. You’ve just got to move on.”

Smith entered Sunday’s contest as the NFL’s top-rated passer but is now ranked seventh (96.6) after going 19 of 30 for 200 yards and three interceptions. It marked the first time in more than two years that Smith had thrown more than two picks in the same game.

Of all the miscues against the Giants, Smith called the team’s turnovers the “nail in the coffin.”

“I really feel like we gave our defense a short field,” Smith said. “For me, the two interceptions late were the ones I thought about the most. It’s third down and you’re trying to make a play, but you’re just making matters worse. You really got to see the bigger picture there, make good decisions on both those cases. That’s what I was really kicking myself for.”

Smith and the 49ers will have a chance to redeem themselves under the lights on a national stage against a Seahawks unit that pulled off a late, come-from-behind, 24-23 home victory against the Patriots last week. Seattle’s disruptive secondary and pass rush, which ranks tied for sixth in the league with 17 sacks, figure to pose another big challenge for Smith and company.

“We’ve got to just move along from this one and get ready for a big division game,” Smith said.