The Seattle Seahawks found a way to win Super Bowl LX even with Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba struggling to produce their usual connection against the New England Patriots.
Seven months later, Darnold and Smith-Njigba get another crack at New England’s defense, and two Patriots reporters don’t expect Christian Gonzalez and company to hold Seattle’s top receiver to the same numbers again.
Boston Herald reporters Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed discussed the matchup during a live CLNS Media show in Seattle on Sept. 8.
“Are they gonna limit him to 27 yards? Probably not,” Kyed said in a clip shared by Patriots on CLNS. “You don’t really have to worry about anyone that much in that offense if you take JSN away.”
“They have to get a good game from him [Gonzalez] to win tomorrow.”
“Are they gonna limit him [Smith-Njigba] to 27 yards? Probably not… You don’t really have to worry about anyone that much in that offense if you take JSN away.”
New England held Smith-Njigba to four catches for 27 yards on 10 targets in the Super Bowl, including just one catch for 16 yards on three targets when covered by Gonzalez.
The message applies directly to Darnold, whose job becomes much easier if New England cannot recreate the coverage plan that forced him away from his most productive target.
Darnold Gets Another Shot at Patriots Coverage Plan
Darnold did enough to leave Santa Clara with a championship in February, but the Patriots made him work for it.
The Seahawks quarterback completed 19 of 38 passes for 202 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in Seattle’s 29-13 Super Bowl victory. His lone touchdown pass went to AJ Barner in the fourth quarter, while Smith-Njigba was held to his lowest receiving total in a game with at least eight targets.
ESPN later noted that Darnold also missed chances to connect with Smith-Njigba for bigger plays. He overthrew the receiver on a scramble drill that could have produced a long touchdown, and another potential scoring throw came in behind Smith-Njigba, allowing Gonzalez to recover for a breakup.
That makes the rematch as much about Darnold as it is Smith-Njigba.
Seattle’s passing offense ran through the quarterback-receiver pairing throughout 2025. Smith-Njigba led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards on 119 catches and 10 touchdowns on his way to AP Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Darnold now gets to revisit a defense that separated him from his No. 1 weapon on the biggest stage.
Gonzalez Again Stands Between Darnold, JSN
Gonzalez was arguably New England’s best defensive player in the Super Bowl loss.
The Patriots credited him with three pass breakups, including one in the end zone on a Darnold throw intended for Smith-Njigba. New England’s own game-plan review noted that Gonzalez covered Smith-Njigba on 14 routes and allowed one catch for 16 yards on three targets.
That performance helps explain why the CLNS discussion put so much emphasis on Gonzalez.
“They have to get a good game from him to win tomorrow,” Callahan said.
The Patriots have since made their confidence in Gonzalez clear financially, agreeing to a four-year, $135 million extension before the opener. His first game after the deal immediately brings an additional matchup with the reigning Offensive Player of the Year and the quarterback who just beat New England for a championship.
Seattle will also be operating without Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, who departed for the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency. NFL.com highlighted Walker’s departure as one of the biggest changes from February, putting even more attention on Darnold and the passing game as Seattle begins its title defense.
Assuming Gonzalez and the Patriots cannot again keep Smith-Njigba around 27 yards, Darnold should have more opportunities to play through the receiver who powered Seattle’s offense last season.
Seahawks’ Darnold, Smith-Njigba Get Telling Gonzalez Message Before Patriots Rematch