When Jaxon Smith-Njigba first started practicing with his new quarterback during offseason workouts, he and Sam Darnold had not yet built the level of chemistry they’re playing with now.
The result, Smith-Njigba said, was an occasional throw surprising him because he wasn’t expecting to be targeted on the play. Eventually, Smith-Njigba came to realize that Darnold was willing and able to find him in situations in which he may not have been targeted in past years, but there was an adjustment period.
“It definitely was a learning experience firsthand, and, I just had to flip that mindset,” Smith-Njigba said. “A couple footballs caught me off guard, so just have to be ready at all times.”
And now, five games in the season, Darnold and Smith-Njigba have build that chemistry up surprisingly fast and emerged as one of the league’s top quarterback receiver duos. And as Smith-Njigba describes it, that has really shown up when some of those plays that were miscues in offseason workouts are now going for big completions in games.
“Plays where you usually normally probably wouldn’t get the ball, and then the ball is right on you,” he said. “There were a couple plays like that this season. So, just sticking with you, giving you a chance and knowing that we put the reps in and that it’s going to look like how the situation and practices have been. Just executing it from there. Those always feel good to catch those types of balls… I had to really tell myself to expect the ball every play, honestly, because it could be there. And that’s the attitude and approach that I came into the season with.”
And now, by just about any metric, Darnold and Smith-Njigba are two of the very best in the NFL at their jobs. Through five games, Darnold ranks first in the league in yards per attempt (9.3), third in passer rating (114.8) and third in completion percentage (73.8), while Smith Njigba is second in the NFL in receiving yards with 534 and fifth in receptions with 34.
If advanced stats and analytics are more your thing, both are thriving in those metrics as well.
Darnold is Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded quarterback, ranks second in ESPN’s Total QBR metric, and per NFL Next Gen Stats, he leads the league in passer rating (143.8) and completion percentage (71.1) on downfield throws (10-plus air yards). Next Gen Stats also has Darnold as fourth among quarterbacks in expected points added per drop back, and first in completion percentage over expected.
Smith-Njigba, meanwhile, is PFF’s third-highest graded receiver, and ranks first in the league in yards per route run (4.3) and yards per target (12.4). Smith-Njigba has also accounted for 59.9 percent of Seattle’s yards on downfield passes, per Next Gen Stats, the second highest share in the league, and his 17 catches for 419 yards on downfield throws leads the league.
“Very impressive,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said of Smith-Njigba. “The consistency behind his approach has shown from week to week. I think how complementary we are on offense and how Sam’s been able to distribute the ball and work through his progressions. The ball seems to find him in those critical moments, and I think Klint’s (Kubiak) calling great games as well, so happy for him. I’m sure he’s got a long way to go from Jax’s point of view, but he’s playing great football for us.”
As for Darnold, Macdonald has been most impressed by his quarterback’s level of consistency as he performs at such a high level every week.
“I feel like I am answering this the same every week, but the consistency, the composure,” Macdonald said. “It’s a tough defense, but to be able to play decisive, be on time. He’s taking smart calculated risks, ripping it when he needs to, taking care of it when he needs to. I know the guys around him are playing hard, so it’s good to see the ball get distributed around, which is how we envision it, tight ends coming alive. We’re protecting him really well too, which coincides with the timing of plays and him being on time, receivers getting to their spots as well. I think everybody sees how well Sam’s playing, I don’t see it any different.”
And for as well as Smith-Njigba and Darnold are playing together through five weeks, they see room to get ever better as they continue to grow as relatively new teammates playing in a new offense.
“It’s always growing,” Darnold said. “Our relationship, to be able to play our best football, it’s always the conversations that we just had at our walk through. Those conversations go a long way. They continue to help us out there on the field, and we’re going to continue to grow as a connection.”
