Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald was impressed by how wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba recovered in time to play a big role in Sunday’s 44-13 blowout win over the New Orleans Saints.
“Came back from the dead,” Macdonald told reporters. “It was pretty cool. Not quite the Jordan flu game, but it was pretty solid.”
The Seahawks listed Smith-Njigba as questionable with an illness, and he was reportedly experiencing flu-like symptoms Saturday.
The 2023 first-round pick didn’t look like somebody who had been recently under the weather in Week 3. He caught five passes for 96 yards and a touchdown on six targets.
“Yeah, I’m feeling better,” Smith-Njigba said after the victory. “Especially after the win. It was a tough Friday and Saturday for me, but I woke up feeling good today.”
The “Jaxon Smith-Njigba flu game” isn’t going to enter the public consciousness in the same way Michael Jordan’s heroics in the 1997 NBA Finals did, but his performance will add to the excitement over his start to the season. No other Seahawks receiver has had as many receiving yards (323) through three games.
The 23-year-old cracked 1,000 yards and made his first Pro Bowl in 2024. At this rate, he might be fighting for an All-Pro nod at the end of the year.
Having Smith-Njigba take another step forward would also help Seattle get a better return on the $100 million it invested in quarterback Sam Darnold and further justify the decision to trade DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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