At the start of the season the best thing the Seattle Seahawks had going for them was their pass rush. At one point they were getting pressure at a ridiculous 50% rate, which was of course unsustainable.
Thankfully, somebody has stepped up to help fill that void with Seattle’s defense getting pulverized by injuries.
Heading into their Week 6 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the one thing these Seahawks can hang their hat on is the explosive connection between Sam Darnold and star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who comes in ranked second in the league in receiving yards.
Robert Mays at the Athletic has an excellent breakdown of Seattle’s deep passing game this week, detailing the total team effort it’s been.
“Consistently creating chunk plays down the field requires more than just the QB. Seattle has seen significant — and surprising — contributions from its offensive line, pass catchers and play caller… Kubiak’s approach has created advantageous passing looks for a QB looking to push the ball down the field.”
While the full picture matters – including playcalling, pass protection, personnel – and accurate deep throwing from Darnold – the centerpiece is JSN.
“While he remains one of the NFL’s most impressive short-area threats given his excellent route-running and short-area quickness, Smith-Njigba’s growth as a vertical target has provided Darnold with one of the league’s most explosive downfield receivers.”
The result has been an explosive connection that no other QB-WR combo in the NFL can match, even that of Matt Stafford and Puka Nacua.
Through five games JSN has posted 10 catches of 20 or more yards, which leads the league. He also has four catches of 40 or more yards, also a league-best mark. Only Nacua and Amon-Ra St. Brown have more catches for first downs.
Darnold has also developed a connection with Cooper Kupp and AJ Barner on shorter targets to help move the chains and has a developing red zone threat with rookie Tory Horton.
Throw it all together and you have a passing attack that’s much more potent than it was last season with Geno Smith and DK Metcalf leading the charge.
Seahawks vs. Jaguars: Early odds for Week 6 matchup revealed
Does Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold have a case for MVP?
Injuries change math for Seahawks as trade deadline approaches
3 moves Seahawks should make to alleviate defensive injuries
