Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Jaxon Smith-Njigba-Sam Darnold connection takes over NFC championship game vs. Rams originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Seattle Seahawks are a balanced team, but the offense primarily focuses on wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

The third-year wide receiver had a breakout season in 2025, totaling 1,793 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. While he was quiet in the Seahawks first playoff game, only producing 19 yards in the 41-6 win, Smith-Njigba came alive in the first half of the NFC championship game against the Los Angeles Rams.

Smith-Njigba had a few huge catches, including a one-handed grab in the first half and a 42-yard reception in the second half.

Then, quarterback Sam Darnold found Smith-Njigba right before halftime for the team's second touchdown of the game.

Darnold and Smith-Njigba haven't needed to produce big numbers lately, but it was only a matter of time before they blew up in the playoffs. Here's how the pair are performing in the NFC championship game.

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Jaxon Smith-Njigba stats vs. Rams

  • Catches: 9
  • Receiving yards: 139
  • Yards per catch: 15.4
  • Touchdowns: 1

Smith-Njigba exploded in the first half with seven catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. That included a 42-yard catch late in the second quarter, which was followed up by a receiving touchdown to give Seattle a four-point lead.

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Sam Darnold stats vs. Rams

  • Completions/Attempts: 19/27
  • Passing yards: 291
  • Yards per attempt: 10.8
  • Touchdowns: 3
  • Interceptions: 0
  • Sacks: 1
  • Passer rating: 142.7

Darnold had a strong first half, completing 12 passes for over 200 yards and a touchdown. Two of those completions went for a total of 93 yards, as both Smith-Njigba and Rashid Shaheed hauled in deep passes for big chunks of yardage.

Darnold ended the first half with more yards than he had in all of the divisional round against the San Francisco 49ers, when he needed just 124 passing yards as the Seahawks won in a blowout. He then came out of the half and threw another touchdown to pad the lead.