Seattle Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba has had a brilliant start to the 2026 season so far, but a quieter performance by his standards in Week 4 may have impacted his standing in the MVP race.
CBS Sports ranked Smith-Njigba No. 8 overall in their latest MVP rankings and highlighted his historic pace as reason for him being in the top 10 through the early part of the year.
“Like any non-quarterback, Smith-Njigba has little margin for error if he wants to be the first receiver to win league MVP,” CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo said. “That's the main reason why he fell five spots in this week's standings... Smith-Njigba fell from first to third in the NFL in receiving yards this week, but he is still leading the league in touchdown catches and remains
on pace to break Calvin Johnson's single-season record.”
Smith-Njigba has recorded 481 receiving yards and six REC touchdowns thus far this season. He has led the Seahawks to a 3-1 record on the year, including big wins over the New England Patriots in Week 1 and the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4. He has had clutch receptions, several big plays, and riveting performances that have added to his body of work on the stat sheet and in the win column.
JSN is within striking distance of overtaking Dallas Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb (498 REC yards), and New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (491 REC yards) for the league lead in receiving yards, as soon as in Week 5. Doing so while maintaining his position as the NFL’s receiving touchdowns leader and leading the Seahawks to another win will improve his standing in the MVP race.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba falls in latest CBS Sports MVP rankings
