At this point, Jaxon Smith-Njigba might surpass 100 receiving yards in every game this season. It's remarkable what he's doing, and he continued that against the Washington Commanders in Week 3, even though the Seattle Seahawks ultimately fell by two points.
Smith-Njigba stole the show for the Seahawks offense yet again, as he did in each of Seattle's first two games. With Sam Darnold missing almost both games entirely, Drew Lock subbed in, and it was evident how heavily the backup quarterback relied on Smith-Njigba. As for Seattle's other wide receivers, the reliance wasn't nearly as evident.
You can't blame Lock for relying on Smith-Njigba, but Sunday's game against the Commanders showed that with Darnold under center, things are different, and the Seahawks’ greater wide receiver room is rejoicing over it.
Sam Darnold gets the other Seattle Seahawks pass catchers involved in offensive outburst
The other wide receivers who complement Smith-Njigba each had their best games of this early three-game season as Cooper Kupp, Tory Horton, and tight end AJ Barner came to life. After two weeks, Kupp had just 56 yards combined with zero touchdowns, while Horton had zero across the board.
Barner had also been quiet, with just 21 receiving yards in two games. Smith-Njigba was truly stealing the spotlight, logging 277 total yards. Week 3 didn't change anything for the Seahawks No. 1 target, though, posting a 128-yard day with two more touchdowns to boot. Of Seattle's six touchdowns on the season, Smith-Njigba has five.
While he continued to have his way with opposing defenses, another bright spot in Seattle's 33-31 loss to Washington was the explosiveness of their offense; had Darnold protected the football better, his 379 passing yards with four touchdowns would have looked even more impressive.
Despite his two interceptions, it was clear Darnold wasn't going to rely on Smith-Njigba alone. Between Kupp, Horton, and Barner, 163 of Darnold's passing yards went to the trio. Furthermore, backup running back George Holani was also active in the passing game, hauling in five receptions for 48 yards.
The one blemish on the day was the continued absence of Rashid Shaheed, whose two catches for 14 yards, mind you, have been zero across the board. The overall good, however, is that while Lock was excellent in Darnold's place, the Seahawks offense is clearly more versatile with him in the lead, which is good news for everyone not named Smith-Njigba.
Knowing that Kupp, Horton, and Barner can produce when called upon is vital to the Seahawks offense. Smith-Njigba might actually have a game where he misses 100 yards. Furthermore, the winner here is Darnold, who needs all the weapons firing possible. Again, sans the turnovers, Seattle likely beats Washington. Darnold will have to clean that up going forward.
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