By most available stats, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (JSN) is the NFL’s best through Week 2. The excalibur-level skills he possesses, though, are what truly widen the gap.
Smith-Njigba leads the league in receiving through Week 2. He’s only the fifth player in NFL history with eight catches, 120 receiving yards and a touchdown in each of his team’s first two weeks. He also paces the pack with four touchdown catches, an 82-yarder that’s the longest catch of the year so far. Seahawks Public Relations posted this release on X Monday afternoon.
.@Seahawks WR @jaxon_smith1 ranks tied for third in the NFL in receptions (17), first in receiving yards (277), fourth in receiving average (16.3, min. 10 rec.), tied for first in receiving touchdowns
(4), and has the longest reception this season (82t). #GoHawks pic.twitter.com/kDmlAg1rdG
— Seahawks PR (@seahawksPR) September 21, 2026
What actually makes him different, though, is what makes him special. The answer is similar to basketball legend Tim Duncan—position fundamentals.
When you watch JSN, you see him get open at a rate no one else in the world can at the moment. But it’s not just that he has more separation than anyone else. He’s used to needing less. His 2.53 yards of average receiver separation was actually the lowest of any of either Seattle or the Arizona Cardinals’ qualified wide receivers. When you add the way this touchdown looked back on top of this knowledge, you see JSN using cornerback Max Melton’s length and tight coverage against him. Melton had to work twice as hard as JSN to stay low and play tight to the ball, and still ends up on the wrong side of this highlight.
No. 2 touchdown toss from the man in the No. 2 jersey… and second to JSN pic.twitter.com/LIsx0a6TNW
— The Seahawks Wire (@TheSeahawksWire) September 20, 2026
When another NFL receiver can give cornerbacks that hard of a time in a short area, numbers like JSN’s shouldn’t be a surprise.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Jaxon Smith-Njigba's fundamentals: even more impressive than his stats
