If you thought last season was exemplary for Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, then hopefully you're paying attention to this season, because it's even bigger and better. Just ask Detroit Lions legend Calvin Johnson, whom JSN is chasing.
After another massive statistical performance against the Kansas City Chiefs, Smith-Njigba piled onto the numbers he's been stacking since Week 1, and he's not finished. By the halfway mark of the season, Smith-Njigba could reach and surpass the 1,000-yard receiving mark, on an offense that's not playing exceptionally well.
Sam Darnold's struggles this season are glaring, but Smith-Njigba has been the one constant piece of the Seahawks' offensive scheme that's working. Of course, it's hard not to point out the historic path Smith-Njigba is on, but it's what sets him apart from Johnson that makes this chase all the more remarkable.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Calvin Johnson couldn't be more far apart as players
Last season, Smith-Njigba was on pace to reach Johnson’s single-season wide receiving record of 1,964 yards. Through Seattle's first seven games, Smith-Njigba had recorded 819 yards. Through seven games this season, he's reached 867 yards. What killed Smith-Njigba's chase of Johnson's record last season was the second half, when his numbers trailed off.
Of course, the same could happen again this year, but for some reason, Smith-Njigba's game feels different right now—I don't expect a drop-off in the second half, which makes his pursuit of Johnson's record so exciting. What makes it even more thrilling, though, are the major differences between the two players and their football situations.
Johnson dominated through sheer physical skill and athleticism. His physical profile as a wide receiver was impressive, and his main downfield advantage was his ability to reach the ball over multiple defenders. His core style as a wideout was physical, and overwhelmingly so.
On top of that, Johnson played in a pass-heavy, high-volume, Matthew Stafford-led Detroit Lions offense. Stafford was known to sling the ball downfield. That was their style of offense in those days, and it helped Johnson reach the heights he did, specifically the 1,964 receiving-yard record.
Everything is different for Smith-Njigba—he is slippery, agile, and compact, with a slimmer frame and lighter build. His primary advantages are route running, precision skills, and yards after the catch, and he thrives on the technical demands of being a wide receiver.
Furthermore, Seattle's offense is not the pass-heavy, high-volume offense that Detroit's was. Seattle plays a more conservative offence, with a more balanced run-and-pass attack. Darnold is not the gunslinger Stafford was, and the Seahawks rely far more on their running backs than Detroit did in 2012.
All this to say, Smith-Njigba's surroundings should be limiting him from reaching Johnson's record, but they aren't. This season, with the Seahawks being depleted at running back, their offense has had no choice but to rely heavily on Smith-Njigba, and his numbers show it.
If he reaches Johnson's record this season and surpasses it, he'll do it in a dramatically different style, which makes it all the more remarkable.
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