On his way to leading the NFL with 1,541 yards through 14 games, Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has shown he can be productive in a variety of ways.
From catching deep passes from Sam Darnold to turning short passes into big gains with his run-after-catch ability, Smith-Njigba is showing he is one of the league’s best and most complete receivers.
In Sunday’s 18-16 win over the Colts, Smith-Njigba made the most of his opportunities with the ball in his hands, gaining 68 of his 113 yards after catch, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, and he gained 17 yards after catch over expected. That total included a key 39-yard catch that helped set up a go-ahead field goal late in the fourth quarter.
With Sunday’s performance, Smith-Njigba is now up to 502 YAC this season, the third most among receivers, but he’s also one of the best catching downfield passes, with a league-leading 1,105 receiving yards on downfield throws (10 or more air yards), including 86 on Sunday on three catches.