Jaxon Smith-Njigba receives big honor for the first time in his NFL career
The Seattle Seahawks have surpassed many analysts’ expectations this season as they are leading the NFC West Division nine weeks in. The Seahawks are putting high numbers on both sides of the ball.
It shouldn’t be a surprise to see why the Seahawks are so explosive offensively. While a good portion of the offense is playing great, no one on the team, possibly in the NFL, is having a better season than third-year wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
While JSN and the Seahawks had only played in three games in October, he still had the best month among all of the offensive players in the NFC. On Thursday, the league awarded JSN as the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for October.
This is the first time that JSN has won the NFC Offensive Player of the Month. He is the first Seahawks player to win the Offensive Player of the Month since quarterback Geno Smith, who he won it in October of 2022. Last year, the Seahawks had a winner for Defensive Player of the Month for December/January.
He had already been having one of the better seasons among pass-catchers this season in the four games played in September. In October, however, JSN has been creating frightening and dominating performances against opposing defenses. He has caught 24 receptions for 417 yards and three touchdowns in the three games played.
JSN hasn’t had one dominant game and subpar performances for the rest of this October; he has been blowing past defensive backs and beating them quickly in his elite route-running. He caught an even eight receptions, at least 120 yards, and a touchdown.
JSN went toe-to-toe with former Ohio State teammate and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers star rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka in the Seahawks’ 38-35 Week 5 loss. He caught eight receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown.
He had his best statistical game of the season one week later in the Seahawks’ 20-12 Week 6 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. JSN caught eight receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown, including an explosive 61-yard touchdown catch in the middle of the second quarter. In Week 7, JSN bailed out the Seahawks’ offense when it struggled significantly in the second half. He caught eight receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown.
JSN is so explosive that he leads the league in receiving yards by 99 yards and was on bye-week in Week 8. While players like Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase and Dallas’ George Pickens have been among the league’s best receivers based on speed, JSN has been elite based on his route-running. He has consistently gotten open with multiple yards of separation from the defensive back based on the defense’s inability to read where he is going to go in his routes.
If JSN can stay healthy and have quarterback Sam Darnold keep giving him the ball in the proper spots in his routes, JSN is going to remain at the top of the league’s receiver board. He has a solid chance to be named an All-Pro at the end of the season.
Colts Wide Receiver Doesn’t Understand the Jones Hate
The Indianapolis Colts are some sort of lucky to have this version of Daniel Jones. Sure, he’s had moments of competence during his seven-year career, but nothing like this. Currently, Jones is ninth in the NFL among starting quarterbacks with a passer rating of 105.9. Some have even suggested that Jones is an early MVP candidate, which I guess this year anything is possible.
One of his new receivers isn’t as surprised by Jones’ success as many others. Michael Pittman, Jr. always thought he was pretty good.
“When he came in, obviously, there was a bunch of negative media,” Pittman said. “I always thought of Daniel as a good quarterback. He just wasn’t in a great system to help him succeed. But I always thought that he was super tough. He’s a tough guy, he used to take a lot of sacks. He used to stand in that pocket and deliver throws and stuff like that. I was excited for him.
“And then he got here, and he was nothing like what the media portrayed him out to be. And I just never could understand why Dan was over-hated where he was at prior. Because the way he showed up, he’s a great dude, a great teammate, he’s a guy that you love to be around inside the building and outside of the building. I never understood how that negative stuff found him when he was at his other spot.”
I kind of agree with Pittman. How can you accurately assess a quarterback who had a putrid offensive line, one star offensive player – who everyone knew was getting the ball every down – and absolutely no outside receiving weapons?
Shane Steichen thinks Daniel Jones got too much hate too
Colts head coach Shane Steichen claimed this week that he always held Jones in high regard. It does make you wonder what they’d have all said if Jones came in and stunk up the joint. It wouldn’t be “I always knew he was good!” I promise you that.
“It’s just the preparation that he puts in day in and day out,” Steichen said. “He’s making big-time throws getting us in and out of the right play. We can all feel it, so we take it one day at a time and we’ve got to keep doing it each and every week.
“I think he’s played well his whole career, to be honest. That’s me. When I watched the tape, when I went back and looked at it, I think he’s been a great player this whole time. To get him here and to see the success he’s having with the guys that we’ve got, it’s not a surprise to me right now at all.”
Daniel Jones is having an efficient year statistically
It’s easy to look at the Colts 6-1 record (soon to be 7-1 because they play the Tennessee Titans this week) and figure that the quarterback is playing well. And while Jones isn’t pulling a 1999 Kurt Warner, he’s been incredibly efficient and mistake-free.
Kevin Patra of NFL.com breaks down Jones’ season.
“Jones has a career-high 71.0 completion percentage in 2025, fifth-highest in the NFL,” Patra writes. “His 101 first downs are behind only Patrick Mahomes (110) and Justin Herbert (102) entering Week 8. Jones has generated six games with a 100-plus passer rating, tied for most in the NFL — he had just five such games over his last two seasons with the Giants.
“Jones is proving the type of quarterback he can be with good protection in an offense that fits his skill set. After getting beaten up in New York, he’s been sacked fewer times than any QB (6) in the NFL. His 2.7 sack percentage leads the NFL (9.6 sack percentage from 2022-24; 32nd among 36 qualified QBs).”
