Sweeping the San Francisco 49ers aside to claim both the NFC West title and top seed in the conference playoff bracket will require a big game from Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and the star wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks has received a major boost from an unlikely source ahead of Week 18’s game at Levi’s Stadium.
The boost comes from Niners defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. Specifically, from the play-caller’s comments about whether or not shutdown cornerback Deommodore Lenoir will shadow Smith-Njigba all over the field on Saturday, January 3.
Lenoir has already stated his desire to travel with the NFL’s most productive receiver, but Saleh offered a note of caution. He was asked about the matchup by Grant Cohn of 49ers On SI, and Saleh went into detail about the potential pitfalls of playing best on best every snap.
His answer should give the Seahawks confidence they can get their primary playmaker going when it matters most.
49ers Wary of Shadowing Jaxson Smith-Njigba
As Saleh explained, “the reality is it’s easy for the guy who travels, right? I got that guy. I’m going to travel wherever I want. But, we’re a zone-based defense, right? So, if it was man coverage, easy for him, but then it is a little bit more difficult for the other guys. Like, how does everybody else align? Do you go match where everyone just picks a number? What if that number’s not on the field? Do you pick a different number? Or is it, alright, we’re all going to align off of DMo? And what if DMo’s in the slot? Does that put the nickel out on number one where he’s not used to being? So, techniques change within your man principles because now you’re in different locations. Alright, now put yourself in zone. You’re trying to match up where he is and you’re matching up now DMo’s in the slot. Does that mean [CB] Upton’s [Stout] now playing corner third, which he hasn’t done all year? And so, there are a lot of new techniques that you’re going to ask a guy to do. It’s very expensive, not for the guy traveling, but for the guys not traveling, if that makes sense. Now, can it be done? Of course it can be done. Do we have it in our inventory? Absolutely. Can we? Maybe. So, we’ll see.”
While Saleh is right to worry about the structure of his defense, anything less than the 49ers putting their top cover man on Smith-Njiba will be an advantage for the Seahawks. It can’t be any other way when JSN tops the league’s receiving charts with 1,709 yards. Not even after Smith-Njigba burned the 49ers for nine catches and 124 yards back in Week 1.
Saleh has to risk putting Lenoir over JSN, and with safety help, when the two-time Pro Bowler “leads the NFL in receptions [49], yards [1,196] and touchdowns [8] on passes of 10+ air yards. He has also generated a league-high 360 receiving yards over expected on downfield targets, the 2nd-most by a receiver since 2018,” according to NFL Plus.
Smith-Njigba has slowed somewhat in recent weeks, although he’s still accounted for 25 targets across the last two games. The 23-year-old remains the go-to target for quarterback Sam Darnold, who is struggling to overcome his own problem with turnovers.
Connecting with Smith-Njigba early and often will ease Darnold’s nerves in the Bay Area, but it’s not the only thing the Seahawks can do to steady an erratic offense in their biggest game of the season.
Seahawks Must Use Balanced Offense
Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak hopefully paid close attention to how effectively the Chicago Bears ran the ball on Saleh’s defense in Week 17. Even though they only managed to tally 110 yards on the ground, the Bears consistently found open running lanes and were able to stay productive after contact.
Both running back D’Andre Swift and quarterback Caleb Williams averaged 2.6 yards before contact per rushing attempt, per Pro Football Reference. Meanwhile, Swift and backfield mate rookie Kyle Monangai averaged over three yards after contact per rush.
Add in a pair of touchdowns on the ground, and the Bears proved there’s plenty of running room against these 49ers. The Seahawks can improve on those numbers thanks to the recent resurgence of running backs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet.
They have combined to deliver back-to-back 100-yard games, so the time is ripe for Kubiak to lean more on the ground game. It will protect Darnold, keep a high-powered 49ers offense on the sideline and force Saleh to put safeties in the box, leaving Smith-Njigba to feast on one-on-one matchups, no matter who’s in coverage.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks Get Major Boost from 49ers Plan