Jaxon Smith-Njigba put the league on notice with clear warning just seconds after Week 13 shutout win over the Vikings
Jaxon Smith-Njigba didn’t hold back just moments after the Week 12 game ended.
The Seattle Seahawks pitched a shutout in Week 13 over the Minnesota Vikings in their thrilling Week 13 victory. It was a dominant performance by the defense, despite a down game from quarterback Sam Darnold. Darnold wasn’t perfect, but he did enough to help lead the team to victory.
The MVP of the team this season is undoubtedly wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had plenty to say after the team’s victory. He put the league on notice, giving flowers to the defensive performance by his team, along with some shoutouts to the running back room for their performance.
Smith-Njigba didn’t have the best day at the office, limited to only two catches for 23 yards on four targets, but all of that goes away when the team pulls out such a dominant win. The talented receiver was asked about the defensive performance, and he didn’t shy away.
“Great,” Smith-Njigba said. “The best in the world, happy to have those guys. Front line to the linebackers to the DBs, they played a great game. They led us, and we’re super happy to have them have the best defense in the world; it’s awesome.”
The warning was clear: don’t count out the Seahawks’ defense at any point in the season. For a team that’s playing well with a stout defense, it seems as though they are underappreciated in the league, something that Smith-Njigba warned should not be the case. They are as elite as they come as an overall unit, and it should terrify the rest of the NFL.
Smith-Njigba didn’t hold back after the win
When asked about his lack of production, Smith-Njigba didn’t shy away from the game plan. It was clear that the Vikings were trying to shut him down all game, bringing double teams all game and making life difficult for the pass catcher. It was a season-low in catches for the receiver.
“Yeah, Coach Flores does a great job of mixing up looks, and we were just taking what they were giving us,” Smith-Njigba said. “Sam, you know, made the best decisions for the team. Zach (Charbonnet) and K9 (Kenneth Walker III) are doing their thing, so. It was just one of those days.”
He was asked specifically how the Vikings were able to shut him down and what he was seeing on the field throughout the contest.
“A lot of zone looks, a lot of cloud coverage, a lot of help over there toward my side, which is fine, it’s the name of the game. Other components got a hit, and they did so happy we got the win today.”
Going back to the defense, he was asked about what makes them so dangerous. The Seahawks have one of the best defenses in the entire league, but it feels like they are still slept on. When the playoffs roll around, one thing is for certain: no team is going to want to take on the Seahawks’ defense.
“I think starting with the front line, just some dogs up there getting to the quarterback pressure. Stopping the run is very key; they did a great job of that today,” Smith-Njigba said. “With that, throwing a lot of different looks at the quarterback. We got a lot of dogs in the back end as well. Just a complete overall defense, and yeah, that’s what I would say.”
Sunday was a reminder that Seattle’s defense can take over any game at any moment. If that level of dominance carries over into the postseason, the Seahawks won’t need gaudy offensive numbers to win. They’ll simply need more of the suffocating, physical play that buried the Vikings from nearly the opening snap.
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