One of the brightest spots in a disappointing loss for the Seahawks was the play of second-year receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who not only had the best game of his career, but also one of the best by a receiver in NFL history. the franchise. .

Smith-Njigba finished Sunday’s game with seven receptions for 180 yards and two touchdowns, tied for the fourth-highest yardage total for a Seahawks pass catcher behind Steve Largent (261), Tyler Lockett (200), Largent again (191). , and tied with John L. Williams (180). Largent and Lockett are the only other players with multiple touchdowns and 180 or more receiving yards.

And as illustrated by NFL Next Gen Stats, Smith-Njigba’s big game was a result of the Seahawks using him as a downfield threat. Before Sunday’s loss to the Rams, Smith-Njigba had no catches this season on five targets of 20-plus passing yards, but in that game, he had three receptions on five deep targets, gaining 99 yards and one of his two touchdowns. . Those numbers would have been even more impressive if the 40- and 38-yard receptions hadn’t been negated by holding calls.

Smith-Njigba also accounted for 69.2 percent of the Seahawks’ team passing yards, the highest ratio in a game by a Seahawks receiver since Tyler Lockett accounted for 69.7 percent in Week 2 of the 2022 season.

“I thought it was off,” quarterback Geno Smith said. “He had about 200 yards today. He was all over the place. He played with an extreme fire shooter. He was just doing his thing. That’s what he is, and we have to continue to build on that. He’s a guy who’s only going to get better and will really appreciate playing with him.”