‘This guy is a wizard’: Seahawks star JSN continues to wow

With a head fake and a sharp juke, Seattle Seahawks star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba badly fooled Arizona Cardinals cornerback Will Johnson with a perfectly executed double move.

Seahawks set franchise record with 12th straight win

Eight-time Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker also bit on the fake, leaving Smith-Njigba wide-open behind the defense.

Backup quarterback Drew Lock hit Smith-Njigba in stride, and the NFL’s reigning receiving leader sped the rest of the way for an 82-yard touchdown on Seattle’s second snap of the game.

It kickstarted yet another massive performance for Smith-Njigba, who finished with nine catches for 155 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in the Seahawks’ 31-7 rout of the Cardinals on Sunday.

“He’s just a tremendous player,” Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald said. “… That’s what we expect from Jax. That’s how good he is.”

82-YARD TOUCHDOWN BY JSN 🗣️ What a way to start the game.

📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/BaEWTfOWWj

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 20, 2026

Smith-Njigba piled up 1,793 receiving yards last season, which was the eighth-most in a single season in league history.

This fall, the 24-year-old wideout has picked up right where he left off.

Smith-Njigba had eight receptions for 122 yards and a TD in Seattle’s 13-10 season-opening win over the New England Patriots. He then followed that on Sunday by becoming just the third player in franchise history with at least 150 receiving yards and three TD catches in a game, joining Steve Largent (1983, 1987) and Tyler Lockett (2020).

Through the first two games of 2026, Smith-Njigba has 17 catches for a league-high 277 yards and four TDs. He now has 11 games with 100-plus receiving yards since the start of last season, which is four more than any other player in the NFL, according to Stathead.

“We’re sitting over there on the D-line on the sideline, and when he catches ball, we’re just like, man, this guy is a wizard,” Seahawks standout defensive lineman Leonard Williams said.

HAT TRICK 🎩 @jaxon_smith1

📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/4FZiVvktem

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 20, 2026

Smith-Njigba’s first touchdown on Sunday was tied for the fourth-longest TD reception in franchise history.

As Lock detailed, it initially wasn’t meant to be a go route. Smith-Njigba simply beat Arizona’s secondary so bad that he made it one.

“I never expected him to inside-release the corner,” Lock said. “That’s just not a typical thing. But man, if (the corner) is gonna play you that far outside and you want to get vertical on him, go ahead. That was cool.”

Asked about the head fake he unleashed, Smith-Njigba credited his basketball background.

“That’s my hoopin’ skills right there,” Smith-Njigba said.

Smith-Njigba’s other two touchdowns both came on third downs. He hauled in a 7-yard TD pass on third-and-goal early in the third quarter and then caught a 12-yard TD pass on third-and-6 early in the fourth.

“Talk about high-level situations, four-point plays,” Macdonald said, referring to the four-point difference between a touchdown and settling for a field goal. “Both of those touchdown catches really helped put the game away.”

It seemed highly improbable that Smith-Njigba could match his sensational 2025 campaign.

But two games into 2026, he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

“That’s just what he does,” Lock said.

More Seattle Seahawks coverage

• Brock: The Seattle Seahawks snatched the Cardinals’ souls
• Wyman: Seahawks show ‘definition of complementary football’ vs Cardinals
• Stacy Rost: The Seahawks just needed Lock to be efficient, but he was sensational

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