It’s hard enough to stop Jaxon Smith-Njigba the receiver. But what about Smith-Njigba the running back?
Wait, the same player who leads the NFL in receiving yards? The guy on pace to break the NFL’s single-season receiving record and catch more than 120 passes? That dude?
Yes, Broncos players said, that dude. Three different Denver defenders compared Smith-Njigba to a running back after the catch, saying his elusiveness with the ball in his hands is part of what makes the Seattle Seahawks wide receiver elite. Smith-Njigba ranks second in yards after the catch among wide receivers this season.
So how will the Broncos stop him on Thursday night at Empower Field at Mile High?
“Sometimes you got to eat your Wheaties,” safety JL Skinner told The Denver Post.
“You can game plan how you want to, he’s still going to make his plays,” safety Brandon Jones said.
That’s been a familiar sentiment from defenses that have faced Smith-Njigba this season. He’s caught 37 passes on 49 targets for 583 yards and seven touchdowns in five games this season. He leads the NFL in 20-plus-yard receptions with nine, and his 82-yard touchdown catch against the Arizona Cardinals is the league’s longest reception this season.
Those are just the basic stats. Smith-Njigba averages 4.1 receiving yards per route run, trailing only Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers. He creates 2.9 yards of separation on routes, which Broncos players said comes from his ability to run the entire route tree. He’s not a typical slot receiver in that way. Smith-Njigba can blow past a defensive back on a go route one play, then break three tackles after a tough catch over the middle on the next.
“You just always have to be aware of where he is,” Jones told The Post. “They’re trying to get him the ball.”
The next-closest player on the Seahawks is Cooper Kupp, with 129 receiving yards. Seattle’s top wide receiver has accounted for nearly half of the team’s receiving yards this season and 35% of its targets. He’s commanded the highest target share by any player through Week 5 since at least 2016 and has been targeted on 35.5% of his routes this season, the second-highest rate in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats.
In each of the first three games, Smith-Njigba recorded at least 120 receiving yards and a touchdown. Jerry Rice is the only other player in NFL history to accomplish that feat.
The Broncos won’t only have to defend him on a short week, but they’ll likely do it without top cornerback Pat Surtain II, who hasn’t practiced this week because of an ankle injury. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has discussed Surtain’s ability to take away half the field, a skill that would be especially valuable against Seattle. Safety Talanoa Hufanga also appears likely to miss Thursday’s game with an ankle injury after missing both practices this week.
The good news for Denver’s defense is that it could get its No. 2 cornerback, Riley Moss, back on Thursday night. Moss has been a limited participant in practice this week because of a rib injury and was seen stretching with the team during Tuesday’s practice. Backup cornerbacks Jahdae Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine also played well against the Los Angeles Chargers last week, while nickel cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian will likely see plenty of Smith-Njigba in the slot.
And what about bracketing Smith-Njigba? If he’s dominating so much of Seattle’s offensive game plan, shouldn’t Joseph send extra help toward the receiver? The Broncos will likely use some double-teams Thursday, but it’s not as easy as it sounds, Skinner said.
“People think you just going to line up and double-team a guy. Until he motions or until he lines up in the backfield or until he lines up in a bunch formation,” Skinner said. “It’s so much that goes into just doubling someone.”
Because Smith-Njigba lines up all over Seattle’s formation, it’s hard to build a static game plan to stop him. The key to slowing him down might not even be Denver’s secondary. Instead, the onus may fall on the pass rush to pressure Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold. Opponents are blitzing Seattle on 51% of third downs, the second-highest rate in the NFL. That pressure has contributed to the Seahawks’ ranking 31st in third-down offense.
“Given the guys that he’s went against, I think they’ve given him some funky looks,” defensive lineman Que Robinson said. “I feel like if we give them basics, they’ll take advantage of it … Gotta spice it up, they won the Super Bowl last year, man, gotta give them that respect.”
The Broncos know Smith-Njigba will get his opportunities. The challenge is making sure those don’t turn into game-changing plays.
No team has figured that riddle out so far.
