Jaxon Smith-Njigba recorded nine receptions for 150 yards and a touchdown as the Seahawks beat the Chiefs 20-3 on Oct. 25, 2026.
The Story
The Seahawks received another big game from Jaxon Smith-Njigba as Seattle defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 20-3 on Sunday night, Oct. 25, 2026.
Smith-Njigba finished with nine receptions for 150 yards and one touchdown, continuing a dominant stretch in his 2026 season.
Through seven games, he leads the NFL with 867 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns, ahead of the Saints’ Chris Olave, who has 636 yards through the same number of games.
The wide receiver has also logged six games with 100-plus receiving yards in the team’s first seven contests. The team’s season includes him joining Michael Irvin (1995), Marvin Harrison Sr. (2000) and Adam Thielen (2018) as the only receivers in the Super Bowl era to reach at least 100 yards in six or more of a team’s first seven games.
In describing Smith-Njigba’s production, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said: “He’s tremendous… You’d be crazy not to try to make him the primary on as many concepts as you can.”
Macdonald added that even when Smith-Njigba is sometimes “on the backside of a concept,” Seattle can still look to get the ball to him.
Smith-Njigba’s output has come even with opponents giving him extra attention, including double teams. Safety Nick Emmanwori said, “I’m sitting there thinking like, wow, this (is a) potential Hall of Famer… and knowing that he’s getting double teamed and they’re sending cloud his way and he’s still making plays, it’s crazy.”
Quarterback Sam Darnold highlighted how often Kansas City used coverage that included someone over the top or doubling him, saying Smith-Njigba is “a tough cover” and “always will be.”
One of Smith-Njigba’s key moments came in the second quarter on a third-and-9 play. Darnold connected with Smith-Njigba for a 28-yard touchdown after recognizing the coverage matchup against Chiefs cornerback Mansoor Delane.
Smith-Njigba said, “My eyes get big when I see [single coverage]… I know if we have the chance to take a shot in man coverage, we’re going to take it. Always, always love my chances when I see that.”
Later in the second quarter, Darnold and Smith-Njigba connected again on a similar play.
The Seahawks’ win marked another milestone for Smith-Njigba: he became the first receiver since 1966 with at least 850 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns through the first seven games of a season, and his 867 receiving yards rank third in the Super Bowl era through a team’s first seven games, behind Tyreek Hill’s 902 in 2023 and Lance Alworth’s 871 in 1968.
Tight end AJ Barner also praised Smith-Njigba’s approach, saying, “He’s the best in the world… Jax is such an incredibly humble player and he just goes back to work every single day and at the end of the day, he wants to do it for the team.”
← More stories