First, he blew by Amani Hooker, a safety who was boxed out on a 63-yard touchdown pass. Next, he blew by Samuel Womack III, a cornerback who was juked on a 13-yard scoring throw. Finally, he blew by DK Metcalf — a receiver playing 500 miles away.
Yes, receiver Jaxon-Smith Njigba surpassed his old teammate's mark in Sunday's 30-24 win over the Titans, setting a Seahawks single-season receiving yards record with 1,313. He needed 156 yards to climb above Metcalf and ended up with a season-high 167.
The performance was reflective of a mammoth year from a player who's on pace to break Calvin Johnson's NFL record for most receiving yards in a season (1,964). And while everyone — including JSN himself — wants to talk about how this is all a team effort, the truth is we are in the midst of one of the greatest individual efforts in league history.
How many game balls have you given Jaxon this year? Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald was asked after the game.
Probably not enough," he said.
The Seahawks (8-3) were seven days removed from their most disappointing offensive outing this season, when quarterback Sam Darnold threw four interceptions in a 21-19 loss to the Rams. It would be easy to understand if Darnold came out tentative Sunday, even if he was facing a Titans team entering the game with a 1-9 record.
But when you have JSN on your squad, you can chuck the ball downfield virtually worry-free. And that's just what happened on the Seahawks' second possession, when Smith-Njigba caught a slightly underthrown lob by sealing off the safety and reeling it in for a score to put the Seahawks up 10-3.
That shielding is a skill the Ohio State product has really honed this season. He gets in front of a defender and uses his body to keep them off the ball. It's one feature in an arsenal that has him looking like a potential Hall of Famer if he stays healthy. This is a pleasant surprise to Seahawks fans. Teammates, however, aren't the least bit shocked.
"I remember a lot of people were saying stuff our rookie year like he wasn't putting up the numbers and I'm like, 'Bro, trust, you don't know what we got over here,'" said Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon, whose team led 30-10 at one point Sunday. "It's just hard to guard him, bro. ... I'm just a fan watching just like y'all when he's out there."
Count me as one of the people skeptical about Smith-Njigba's ceiling after his first two seasons. He was solid playing beside Metcalf and Tyler Lockett but not spectacular. The 628 receiving yards he posted on 63 catches his first season weren't enough to garner any Offensive Rookie of the Year buzz at all. The 1,130 yards he had on 100 catches last year marked a significant improvement, but it sure was nice having a player such as Metcalf drawing defenders away, right?
Maybe not. As the primary attention-grabber this season, JSN has watched his yards per target improve from 8.2 last year to a league-best 12.27. One might expect more receptions with DK gone, but for him to be this efficient, too?
"He's done an incredible job of making the most of the opportunities. Over and over again," Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp said. "Everyone knows that the passing game is obviously going to be going through him, and he just continues to make plays. It's pretty impressive to watch."
Yeah, safe to say a guy who ended his day with 256 more receiving yards than anyone else in the league is impressive. But what does he think about passing Metcalf?
"It means a lot. This organization, great organization. Great receivers have come through here," said JSN, whose two TDs gives him seven on the year, a career best. "Honestly, I look at it as a team award quite honestly because without Sam and without the protection, without Sheed (Rashid Shaheed) and Coop (Kupp), this doesn’t happen."
Was breaking this record among your goals?
"The goal that I set, I guess you could say this was definitely part of it," he said.
Did you know you had a chance to break it today?
"Yeah, I knew. Yes sir."
Smith answered these questions while rocking a cowboy hat that looked as though he was heading straight for Broadway. There's talent everywhere you turn your head in Nashville, but it's doubtful anyone outperformed Smith-Njigba this weekend.
One question Macdonald asked after acknowledging JSN's record in the locker room was, "What week is it? The implication being that he zoomed past Metcalf's record with more than a month and a half of football left.
In other words, the world gets to watch a whole lot more of Smith-Njigba this season. This is one fine record, but it could be one of many.
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