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Jaxon Smith-Njigba has typically remained reserved in his emotions throughout his potential Offensive Player of the Year season. But the star wide receiver was ready to let loose following the Seattle Seahawks’ 31-27 triumph over the Los Angeles Rams in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.
As Smith-Njigba was awarded the LFG Player of the Game, he let out a roar and yelled, “Let’s go!” when Tom Brady asked him how he felt to reach the Super Bowl.
“One more, can’t wait,” Smith-Njigba added. “San Francisco. You can read it. You can read it.”
Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game: Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba 🏆 NFC Championship
Smith-Njigba arguably had his best performance of the season when his team needed him the most on Sunday. He logged 10 receptions for 153 yards (his second-most in a game this season) and a touchdown. The vast majority of those yards came in the first half as well, logging 115 receiving yards in the first 30 minutes. That’s the most receiving yards a player has had in the first half of a conference championship game in nine years. Smith-Njigba also became the fourth player in NFL history to record at least 90 receiving yards in 14 games (including the postseason).
While Smith-Njigba had a 42-yard grab and a touchdown catch in the win, he made one of the highlights of the NFL playoffs on a nine-yard reception late in the first quarter. With the Seahawks facing a third-and-2 at the Rams’ 16-yard line, Sam Darnold rolled to his left and appeared to throw a pass that would go just a bit out of Smith-Njigba’s reach.
Instead, Smith-Njigba made an outstretched, one-handed grab. He stuck his right arm out to catch the ball and was able to keep his feet inbound to move the chains.
“Why do you need two hands when you got one that’s like a suction cup? What a catch,” Brady said of Smith-Njigba’s catch on the broadcast.
The Seahawks settled for a field goal to extend their lead to 10-3. JSN’s touchdown grab came late in the first half, breaking through the Rams’ secondary for a 14-yard score that gave the Seahawks a 17-13 lead right before halftime.
However, it was the play before that left Brady in awe. The receiver battled for a pass Darnold threw to him in the back of the end zone, coming up with the grab, but landed out of bounds. That led Brady to say what makes Smith-Njigba such an elite receiver.
“Of course, he caught it,” Brady remarked. “He was just three yards out of bounds. But he catches everything! One-handed, two-handed, off the fingertips — he’s so graceful with his body control. He’s like an ice skater out there when I see him run routes. He glides and his shoulder plane never dips. It’s always the same height. A lot of receivers, when they run, if they’re speeding up or stopping, their shoulder planes will rise or fall. He maintains the same shoulder plane when he runs his route.”
“It’s really hard for any defensive back to get a beat on what he’s doing,” Brady added.
The Rams’ secondary can certainly attest to that. Smith-Njigba had 201 yards in the first two matches between these two teams this season, helping him lead the league with 1,793 receiving yards.
But Smith-Njigba’s contributions were one of a handful of pieces to the puzzle that turned the Seahawks into NFC champs this season. Darnold was one of the game’s top passers this season, Kenneth Walker had some big games at running back and the Seahawks’ defense led the league in scoring in the regular season.
So, Smith-Njigba wasn’t surprised that it took more than just him to help the Seahawks end up as NFC champions.
“It starts the offseason, just building a culture from the ground up,” Smith-Njigba told Brady. “Coming into this game, we told each other whatever we have to do in all phases — defense, offense, special teams — we’re going to get the job done. Whatever it takes. That’s what you saw tonight, man.”
Now, Smith-Njigba and the Seahawks will take on one of Brady’s former teams, the New England Patriots, in Super Bowl LX. While it’s a rematch of a Super Bowl that took place 11 years ago, both teams are playing for a title just a year after they each missed the playoffs.
“That’s what it’s about, it’s about the journey and what we had to come through, ups and downs,” Smith-Njigba told Brady. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I love this team and the way we fought. I’m just super proud of this team and super proud to be a Seahawk.”
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