Tag Archives: Jaxon Smith-Njigba

The formula for winning: Darnold, JSN and D-line

October 12, 2025 cc Leave a comment

The Seahawks’ most reliable factors so far this season have been their QB1-WR1 connection, their defensive front and their special teams. They lost to the Bucs last week largely due to a rare bad game by the defensive line.

They won 20-12 in Jacksonville today because that unit returned to dominance and helped out Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who continued to play as well as any QB-WR duo in the NFL.

Last week, Mike Macdonald said Baker Mayfield had too many “Mississippis” (a reference to the old backyard football pass rush rule). Well, the Seahawks got to Trevor Lawrence after one “Miss” on half of his dropbacks today.

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#TBvsSEA, Franchise history

It’s a full-circle weekend for Egbuka, the Bucs, Hawks and Mariners

October 2, 2025 cc Leave a comment

This weekend is all about the past meeting the present as the Seahawks face the Bucs in their 50th anniversary seasons and the Mariners host their first playoff games since 2001.

Emeka Egbuka apparently ties it all together.

Before he was Tampa Bay’s first-round receiver this year, Egbuka was a youth baseball star who threw out the first pitch at Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park) in 2011. Then he was on the same Ohio State team as Jaxon Smith Njigba.

Egbuka will return to Seattle to face JSN as the Bucs and Seahawks square off in a big battle of 3-1 teams on Sunday, before the Mariners play Game 2 of their division series.

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#SEAvsARI

Because the good outweighed the bad & ugly, the Hawks are 3-1

September 26, 2025 cc Leave a comment

The Seahawks should have beaten Arizona by two touchdowns on Thursday. Instead, they needed Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and more special teams magic to win 23-20 on the final play and get to 3-1 this season.

That gave the Hawks a pair of crazy 8s: Eight straight wins over Arizona and eight straight road wins.

The Hawks would have won long before the last play — if Tyrice Knight had not knocked the ball loose on Coby Bryant’s interception return, if Kenneth Walker III had not thrown a football at a Cardinal for a 15-yard taunting penalty, if Riq Woolen had not committed three penalties, if the offensive line could have asserted itself for a game-sealing four-minute drill.

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#SEAvsARI, State of the team

Hawks ‘knocking on the door’ of becoming a contender

September 24, 2025 cc Leave a comment

As the Seahawks prepare for a big division game against Arizona on Thursday night, they are “knocking on the door” of becoming a complete team.

They have scored 75 points over the past two weeks, second only to Detroit’s 90 – but more than Baltimore (71), Buffalo (61) and surprising Indianapolis (70). The Hawks are still middling in most of the subjective power rankings, but they have the No. 1 team in the league, based on DVOA.

Special teams have been huge in bolstering that point total. The Hawks have the best special teams in the league (by DVOA), having scored in consecutive games and also blocked a kick vs. the Saints to set up another quick TD.

The defense ranks fifth – thanks to stellar play by the top three defensive linemen and by corners Josh Jobe and Derion Kendrick.

The offense ranks sixth, thanks to Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Darnold said the offense is “knocking on the door of becoming what we want to be.” Once that happens, the Hawks will be a complete team and true contender.

The NFC West is the best division in the league, with nine wins among the four teams. So the pressure is on the Hawks to beat Arizona on Thursday and keep up with the undefeated 49ers, who have been winning with Mac Jones at QB (but also just lost Nick Bosa for the season).

Let’s look at the contributions of each of the three squads that have made the Hawks one of the league’s best teams over the past couple of weeks.

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CHAWK LINES, Week 15: Green Bay

Hawks renew Packers rivalry

December 13, 2024 cc Leave a comment

The 49ers were unable to knock off the Rams, who are hot on Seattle’s heels for the division title – which seems destined to come down to their Week 18 game.

The Seahawks (8-5) face the Packers (9-4) in a big Sunday night matchup, the first of two huge games against NFC North playoff teams. Both Green Bay and Minnesota (11-2) have excellent teams (top seven by EPA), and these games will show just how serious of a postseason contender the Seahawks might be.

The Seahawks and Packers have a rivalry that dates back to 1999, when Mike Holmgren was traded from Green Bay to Seattle. But they have not played for three years, so most of the faces in this rivalry are new.

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Week 9: L.A. Rams

All the ways the Hawks turned a blowout win into an overtime loss

November 4, 2024 cc 3 Comments

If and when the Seahawks decide to stop beating themselves, they are going to be hard to beat.

The question is whether they will indeed be able to stop giving games away to their opponents.

They should have beaten the Rams about 30-13 on Sunday, but instead they lost in overtime. Some great performances by the defense, Jaxon Njigba-Smith and Cody White went to waste because of the Three Stooges Act by Geno Smith, Connor Williams and Mike Jerrell.

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