In his third year in the NFL, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is breaking records. Smith-Njigba has now set a new single-season franchise record for receiving yards — hitting the milestone with six games still remaining in the campaign.
The receiver went into Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans with 1,146 yards, a little over 150 shy of DK Metcalf’s franchise record of 1,303. But Smith-Njigba went off for 167 yards in Seattle’s 30-24 win over Tennessee, officially passing Metcalf in the third quarter.
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Metcalf hit the mark in 2020 as part of a 16-game season; Smith-Njigba passed him in fewer than 11 games.
Smith-Njigba hit the milestone as part of a stellar showing on Sunday, sprinting for a stunning 63-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Smith-Njigba added another receiving TD to his stat line early in the third quarter, marking his seventh touchdown this season — a career high.
The Titans nearly surged back late in the game, converting four fourth downs on a touchdown drive to pull within one score late in the fourth quarter. But Tennessee’s onside kick attempt was unsuccessful, and Seattle earned a solid away victory to move to 8-3.
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Smith-Njigba also moved into a spot on the league record books as well: Per the team, he now has the fifth-most receiving yards in the first 11 games of a season — 1,313 — in the Super Bowl era, passing Julio Jones.
There’s also a bit of poetry as Smith-Njigba passes Metcalf, with the young receiver breaking out in his first season since a trade sent Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Metcalf gone, Seattle passes the torch to its next great receiver — and Smith-Njigba has proven that he is more than ready to take on that mantle.