The Seattle Seahawks have gotten off to a great start to the 2025 season. After losing their opener due to a touchdown in the final two minutes, they have bounced back in a major way with three consecutive wins - two blowouts and a divisional win.
Seattle has played well on both sides of the football as they are the league's only team that ranks in the top-five of both offense and defense, averaging 27.8 points per game while allowing just 16.8. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been a big part of the offensive success as he leads the league in receiving yards while ranking third in receptions.
The Seahawks star had yet another solid night on Thursday Night Football as he took over late to help lead the team to a 23-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Smith-Njigba received praise for his performance.
Jaxon Smith-Njiga's late game takeover earns praise from analyst
Smith-Njigba finished with 79 receiving yards on four receptions -- all of which came in the second half. 69 of those yards -- including a 22-yard reception that set up the game-winning kick -- came in the final frame as the third-year wide receiver took over down the stretch.
Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski praised his performance:
"After a quiet first half, Jaxon Smith-Njigba emerged as Seattle's offensive spark in the final quarters. With just 23 seconds left, quarterback Sam Darnold found the wide receiver for a critical 22-yard gain, placing Seattle in field-goal range. Smith-Njigba finished with a game-high 79 receiving yards, all earned in the second half."
Smith-Njigba has continued to prove the Seahawks front office correct after they received criticism for moving on from DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett during the offseason. The 2024 Pro Bowler has gotten off to a tremendous start as he has recorded 402 receiving yards and one touchdown on 26 receptions.
After beginning the season with back-to-back efforts of more than 100 yards, he found the end zone for the first time last week despite winding up on the injury report with an illness one day prior -- finishing with 96 yards to set a franchise record for most receiving yards through three games. Smith-Njigba showed his clutch side in Week 4 as his late-game takeover helped Seattle secure the win.
The 20th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has shown that he has the potential to turn into a superstar. While he has work to do to reach that level, his 2025 season couldn't be off to a better start.