Jaxon Smith-Njigba wasted little time getting back on track following Week 13's 23-yard performance against the Minnesota Vikings. That game was JSN's lowest-production game of the season, and it likely tailspinned his chase for Calvin Johnson's single-season wide-receiving record.
That said, the Seattle Seahawks have four games remaining, so anything could be possible. Week 14 turned out to be a much better game, not only for Smith-Njigba but also for Sam Darnold (three touchdowns, one interception, and still some sluggishness in between), who was the biggest proponent of JSN's bounce-back game.
After tallying 92 yards in Week 14 against the Atlanta Falcons, Smith-Njigba entered the Seahawks' history books. It wasn't the one Seahawks fans were gunning for JSN to achieve. However, it's still an important record, and it's why he is already the franchise's best wideout ever, and it also speaks to his strong Offensive Player of the Year candidacy.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba hits franchise milestone in the Seattle Seahawks' Week 14 win
Smith-Njigba is running away with the NFL's top wide receiving statistics this season, especially in yards. His 1,428 yards are 242 yards more than Puka Nacua's 1,186. In fact, surprisingly enough, there are only four wide receivers with over 1,000 yards this season — JSN and Nacua being the top two, and George Pickens (1,179) and Ja'Marr Chase (1,015) being the others.
While Chase and Justin Jefferson (maybe Nacua, too) are considered the league's best wide receivers across the board, JSN is forcing his way into that group, and he's, without question, at least for this season, the best of the group.
Things are only getting better for Smith-Njigba, too, now that he's just made Seahawks history. With his 92 yards on Sunday, JSN now has the most yards ever for a Seahawks receiver in his first three seasons. Is this surprising? It shouldn't be, especially if you were paying close attention to JSN in his second year.
He was already showing signs that he might turn out better than DK Metcalf, who was Seattle's No. 1 in JSN's first two seasons. Seattle's front office clearly saw the same and moved on from Metcalf, entrusting Seattle's No. 1 spot to JSN. Yeah, it's worked out so far.
JSN has amassed 3,182 receiving yards in his first three years (Metcalf had 3,170, for reference). It's not that Metcalf wasn't good; he was, and he still is very good, despite this year's flop season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. JSN was simply showing he was the future, and that's all there is to it.
A three-season trend doesn't exactly count toward a single-season award; however, JSN's new record is a significant testament to just how electric he's been this season. It's why he is the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year favourite, and there should be no contest. Now, if he could only rack up 536 yards over the next four games, Smith-Njigba will be in NFL history heaven.