Jaxon Smith-Njigba's belated impact can be catalyst that helps Seahawks clinch playoffs
For much of his rookie season, Jaxon Smith-Njigba's impact for the Seattle Seahawks has been disappointing. However, with the game on the line in the biggest moment of their season, he showed exactly why the Seahawks made him the first receiver taken in the 2023 draft, keeping Seattle's seemingly dwindling playoff hopes alive in stunning […]
For much of his rookie season, Jaxon Smith-Njigba's impact for the Seattle Seahawks has been disappointing. However, with the game on the line in the biggest moment of their season, he showed exactly why the Seahawks made him the first receiver taken in the 2023 draft, keeping Seattle's seemingly dwindling playoff hopes alive in stunning fashion.
Yet perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Smith-Njigba's 29-yard reception to give the Seahawks a shock 20-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles was that it seemed so unremarkable to the man himself.
Smith-Njigba displayed the ball-tracking skills that were part of what made him such an enticing prospect coming out of Ohio State, looking in a near-perfect endzone shot down the right sideline from Drew Lock and showing late hands to stretch out and reel in a catch that drew instant comparisons to a similar play made in the Rose Bowl against Utah at the end of the 2021 college season.
"Definitely kind of similar," Smith-Njigba said at his post-game press conference. "I've been making catches like that for a long time so hopefully that continues to carry on."
Smith-Njigba's self-belief
There was a calm confidence in Smith-Njigba's answer, with the rookie's composure something head coach Pete Carroll was struck by.
"I'm telling you, he was so chilled. He just made the catch of his NFL career. He was just as calm and poised," said Carroll. "He's a great competitor. I'm serious about when what I'm saying here. This guy, it was not too big a deal. It was like no big deal. Of course I made that catch. He's been doing that his whole life.
"It's that kind of confidence and savvy that allows a guy to separate from other players. He's got that stuff in him. I was incredibly impressed with that. I caught a couple glimpses of him in between all the craziness and all that stuff. He was just on top of it. Really impressive."
Smith-Njigba maintaining that confidence is doubly impressive because his production this season hasn't given him much reason to possess such self-belief.
That touchdown grab was only his third of the season and his first since the Week 8 win over the Cleveland Browns. He still hasn't managed even 70 yards in a game this season.
But his game-winner was significant just for its impact in the moment, but for what it could spark during the final three games of the season as Seattle looks to sneak into the postseason.
A potentially crucial catalyst
At 7-7, Seattle is tied with four teams in the race for the final two Wild Card spots. The Seahawks lose the tiebreaker with the Los Angeles Rams, who occupy the seven seed behind the sixth seed Minnesota Vikings, having suffered defeat in both games with their NFC West rivals this season.
The Rams' offense is also clicking at the right time but, if Smith-Njigba can build on the defining moment of his career to this point, then the Seahawks' receiving corps gives them an advantage over both Los Angeles and the Vikings as well as the New Orleans Saints.
DK Metcalf can maddeningly volatile, but his efforts on the game-winning drive led by Lock were a reminder of just how much of a weapon he can be in the clutch. Metcalf had three catches for first downs on that series, including a contested 34-yard grab that set the Seahawks up at the Philadelphia 29-yard line.
Over the last three games, Metcalf has 264 receiving yards, tied for fifth in the NFL. His four touchdowns are a tally only topped by Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers (5). Metcalf's four receptions of 25 yards or more are also second only to Samuel (5).
With Metcalf gathering steam at exactly the right time, there is a distinct possibility that Smith-Njigba's crucial touchdown could be the catalyst for the Seahawks' receiving corps finally becoming what they hoped when they drafted the former Buckeye across the final three weeks of the regular season.
A receiving trio of Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Smith-Njigba looked like one that could be the best in the NFL at the start of the year. That potential being realized at this juncture may prove the difference in Seattle claiming a Wild Card spot.
Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua have formed a tremendously exciting duo for the Rams, with quarterback Matthew Stafford rediscovering some of his form from their Super Bowl season of 2021. The Vikings will hope Justin Jefferson, finally healthy, can form a terrifying tandem with rookie Jordan Addison but neither Los Angeles nor Minnesota can claim to have a top three at receiver of the standard as that of Seattle.
The Saints are sorely lacking in that department by contrast and, while the Rams have a decided edge among the four .500 teams in the Wild Card race, the Seahawks, in Geno Smith and backup Lock, have two signal-callers capable of regularly getting the ball to their triumvirate of playmakers and creating explosive plays.
With the Seahawks set to face a Tennessee Titans team already eliminated, a Pittsburgh Steelers team on life support and the three-win Arizona Cardinals in their final three games, the explosives Seattle has access to with its top three wideouts could be extremely frequent in the closing weeks of the campaign.
Smith-Njigba's confidence in his own abilities was vindicated in the best possible way on Monday. His self-belief will only have risen in the wake of his game-winner, and the most memorable play of his brief pro career will be seen as a turning point if Seattle's wideouts propel them to a 4-0 finish that punches the Seahawks playoff ticket.
Seahawks QB Drew Lock opens up in emotional postgame interview
Love to see it.
