Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III had more receptions than Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (JSN) in Week 8. JSN had twice the yards, yet Burden felt open more often when observing the game in real time and on tape. Their route charts from NFL’s Next Gen Stats website paint this into a picture we can all learn from.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Luther Burden's route charts from last night. What do you notice?#Seahawks #Bears
— Dom Skene (@DomSkene) November 4, 2026
Source: @NextGenStats pic.twitter.com/Ybq6QL9krg
My big observation is more abstract than complex here. Burden is crossing the field more often despite lacking the short-area quickness or technical route-running prowess of JSN. JSN is operating on the outside and going deep more often, despite Burden being
the faster straight-line speedster of the two. Why are the Bears and Seahawks offensive play-callers — Ben Johnson and Brian Fleury — scheming their best receivers in ways antithetical to their skillset?
The stats provide data that back up the story the tape tells. Remember when I said Burden felt open more often than Smith-Njigba? That doesn’t necessarily mean JSN was lacking. That doesn’t mean Burden stepped his route running up. When they did have opportunities, they both executed well. What’s fascinating is how different the two charts look, and how the game felt that way. Johnson decided to get Burden moving all over the field, but especially across the middle, because that forces the defense to make great plays to stop him. Fleury decided to use JSN as a vertical threat and force the Bears cornerbacks to play back, theoretically opening up the same space underneath that JSN is leaving. One is challenging the defense to a high standard — one is trying to deceive them schematically.
Maybe Fleury’s defensive coaching background makes him respect good defenses too much. He doesn’t attack the defense in their weak spots enough. He doesn’t create enough mismatches. His weekly game plans don’t force defenders into tough positions that require top-of-the-line playmaking. Those were principles that worked wonders for his predecessor, Klint Kubiak. Kubiak quickly became an NFL head coach and found immediate success. The crossing routes Burden ran last night were vital to JSN’s breakout in Kubiak's offense. They stretched teams horizontally rather than just vertically. For more on why this horizontal offense works, check out what I wrote about it in the week leading up to Super Bowl LX here and during Week 8 of the 2025 season here.
Fleury has to call more plays that stretch teams horizontally across the field. He has to consult the current members of the coaching staff who worked with Kubiak in 2025. He needs to get JSN running more crossing routes. The Seahawks are becoming predictable on offense, and Fleury’s the man who must have the plan.
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This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: JSN, Burden's route charts show Brian Fleury's regressive passing game
