The Seattle Seahawks were clicking in nearly every facet of the game in Week 3 as they dominated the New Orleans Saints en route to a 44-13 victory. Seattle did not allow a touchdown until the fourth quarter, returned a punt for a kick, and blocked another punt.
It was their offense, however, that may have shone the brightest as Sam Darnold had his best game in a Seahawks uniform. He threw for 218 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions while completing 14 of his 18 pass attempts. Meanwhile, Tory Horton made the case for more playing time as he recorded a receiving touchdown and a special teams touchdown.
Seattle did not punt until the fourth quarter, at which point their starters were no longer in the game.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the unsung hero of the day; however, after was added to the injury report on Saturday with flu-like symptoms. Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald praised the 2024 Pro Bowler for his performance after battling an illness leading up to the game.
Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba receives praise for performance fresh off of the flu
Smith-Njigba had a breakout season in 2024 as he recorded 1,130 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 100 receptions. His performance made Seattle's front office comfortable in moving on from both DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett during the offseason -- with the clear plan for him to become an even more pivotal piece of the offense.
After getting his 2025 season off to a strong start with back-to-back 100-yard games, it was briefly unclear if he would suit up in Week 3. Smith-Njigba wound up taking the field, finishing with 96 receiving yards and one touchdown on five receptions.
Macdonald praised him for his performance, "Came back from the dead. It was pretty cool. Not quite the Jordan flu game, but it was pretty solid."
Smith-Njigba has gotten off to a tremendous start as he has 323 receiving yards and one touchdown on 22 receptions. He ranks second in receiving yards, just ten shy of the league lead, while ranking fifth in receptions -- and third among wide receivers.
The third-year wide receiver has played a crucial role in Seattle's early-season success as the team ranks fifth in scoring offense and second in scoring defense - the only team in the NFL to rank in the top-five on both sides of the ball.
He has quickly become Darnold's favorite target as he has twice as many receptions and nearly 200 yards more than Cooper Kupp -- who ranks second on the team in both categories.