To Cover This Receiver, ‘You Got To Eat Your Wheaties’

The Denver Broncos have a tough task slowing down the Seattle Seahawks offense on Thursday night, and that includes covering one of the toughest receivers in the NFL. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is one of the best in the league, and Sam Jane of the Denver Post also mentioned that the receiver is also tough to stop as a running back. 

It’s not a highly-publicized part of the receiver’s game, but Jane spoke to three Denver defensive backs who mentioned Smtih-Njigba’s ability to get yardage after the catch as the equivalent of having to bring down a top running back. 

Safety JL Skinner had the best take on this, as he told Jane that “sometimes you got to eat your Wheaties” to do this. It’s a great throwback comment, and fellow safety Brandon Jones also noted that the receiver is going to find a way to make plays, regardless of how good the game plan is. 

The stats back up Jones’ point. Smith-Njigba has caught 37 passes on 49 targets for 583 yards and seven touchdowns in five games this season. He leads the NFL in 20-plus-yard receptions with nine, according to Jane, and his 82-yard touchdown catch against the Arizona Cardinals is the league’s longest reception this season.

The advanced stats make an even stronger case for Smith-Njigba’s playmaking ability. The receiver is averaging 4.1 receiving yards per route run, with is second in the league behind Baltimore Ravens receiver Zay Flowers. He creates 2.9 yards of separation on routes because he can run a full route tree, and he can outrun defensive backs or run over them after he catches the ball. 

The one advantage the Broncos have, however, is that they know where the ball is going. Receiver Cooper Kupp is the next most popular target for quarterback Sam Darnold, and he has just 129 receiving yards. That means Denver can focus on limiting Smith-Njigba, but they’ll have to do it without top cornerback Pat Surtain II, who’s been ruled out with an ankle injury. 

The Broncos will also be without safety Talanoa Hufanga, who’s also been ruled out with an ankle injury, but they will be getting cornerback Riley Moss back. 

The simple answer to containing Smith-Njigba is to double-team him, but the Seahawks will put him in motion and move him around constantly. The Broncos will have to come up with a complete game to limit him, which will be a challenge with a secondary full of players who haven’t been on the field together all that much.