Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is loving what he is seeing from rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Smith-Njigba caught the game-winning touchdown pass from Drew Lock in the Seahawks’ thrilling win over the Philadelphia Eagles this past Monday, a tough 29-yard grab in the end zone.
But Carroll was more impressed with the wide out’s demeanor after the play.
“I’m telling you, he was so chilled,” Carroll said, via Adam Schultz of Fan Nation. “He just made the catch of his NFL career. He was just as calm and poised. He’s a great competitor. I’m serious about when what I’m saying here. This guy, it was not too big a deal. It was like no big deal, of course I made that catch. He’s been doing that his whole life. It’s that kind of confidence and savvy that allows a guy to separate from other players. He’s got that stuff in him. I was incredibly impressed with that. I caught a couple glimpses of him in between all the craziness and all that stuff. He was just on top of it. Really impressive.”
Smith-Njigba logged four catches for 48 yards and a touchdown on the evening as a whole.
“Super fun, emotional win, and emotional game,” Smith-Njigba said. “Drew Lock stepped up. On that play I knew if we had man coverage it was coming to me. I am just thankful that I was able to make the play.”
The 21-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Ohio State, was selected by the Seahawks with the 20th overall pick of the NFL Draft back in the spring.
Through 14 games this season, Smith-Njigba has caught 53 passes for 541 yards and three scores. He missed just about all of his final season at Ohio State due to an injury, but during his sophomore campaign with the Buckeyes, he hauled in 95 receptions for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns.
Seattle improved to 7-7 with its win over the Eagles to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Seahawks will still need some help to get into the postseason, but beating Philadelphia was a great start. It also snapped a four-game losing streak.
Pete Carroll’s group will head on the road to battle the Tennessee Titans this Sunday. Seattle will then take on the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals to close out the regular season.
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