4 studs and no duds from the Seahawks Week 7 win over the Cardinals

Contrasting the not-so-pretty game against the Bengals last week, the Seattle Seahawks came to play against their division rivals in Week 7. It wasn't perfect, especially at the start, but it was a solid win for a team in need of a win to seemingly get the season back on track as they lurk in the shadows of the top seed in the NFC West, now just one game behind the 49ers.

There were some initial questions regarding how the offense, in particular, would perform in the absence of DK Metcalf, which was quickly put to rest, and a significant injury to star pass rusher Uchenna Nwosu in the first half set a damper on the afternoon.

However, Seattle did enough of the right things to outperform expectations to add an impressive win to the 2023 season. And the best part about it all (other than the win, of course) was the tremendous effort and, in some cases, career-best performances stealing the show and allowing us to discuss only studs of the game for the week.

Stud: Jaxon Smith-Njigba

In the least surprising news from this game, rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba stepped up and showed out on Sunday, demonstrating every reason why the Seahawks made sure to draft him earlier this year.

A lot of pressure was put on his shoulders coming into the matchup, with the news of Metcalf's injury keeping him sidelined announced not long before kickoff. But Smith-Njigba swiftly accepted the challenge and went on to have the best game of his short career thus far.

Amidst many standout performances by the team, the receiver was the most exciting to watch. He saw the most looks from Geno Smith since the start of the season, making four caches on seven targets for 63 yards. He also scored his first touchdown, and the first touchdown of the game, in the first quarter with a 28-yard pass to put the Seahawks in the lead right away.

Smith-Njigba maintained that tenacity the rest of the game and became Smith's most used target on the day. It was a good indication of what the young player can bring to the table, especially when a star player like Metcalf is unavailable.