The Seahawks and Patriots are the last teams standing this season. The championship is likely to be decided by the smallest margins
The Seattle Seahawks’ run game came alive during the second half of the season and postseason. But it’s still the passing game that makes the offense sing. Almost all of that flows through Smith-Njigba.
The wide receiver has played out of his mind this season. He roasts every defensive coverage and has morphed into a three-level threat: beating man-coverage quickly off the snap, showing fearlessness to attack the middle of the field and stretching away from deep coverage. Klint Kubiak, the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator, has channeled the entire Seattle offense through his star receiver. Smith-Njigba lines up everywhere: out wide, in the slot, in the backfield. From any of those looks, he’s a matchup nightmare. His dominance has meant that the Seahawks can send fewer receivers out in the route, allowing them to keep extra players in to protect Sam Darnold. Only the Rams sent out all five eligible receivers at a lower rate than Seattle this season.
In the NFC championship against the Rams, Seattle’s rushing attack dried up after an explosive opening. But they continued to convert on third-and-longs thanks to Smith-Njigba, either because of his catches or due to the gravity he creates for other targets.
