Jaxon Smith-Njigba joins NFL Hall of Famer with latest receiving milestone

It was a busy Week 9 on Sunday. Some of the top teams lost, and the playoff picture is even more confusing than it already was. What is not confusing is how good the Seattle Seahawks are, especially under star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Nijgba.

The Seahawks went on the road on Sunday Night Football to face the optimistic Washington Commanders, who had quarterback Jayden Daniels back under center. The Seahawks’ defense had another stellar game, and quarterback Sam Darnold was nearly perfect.

JSN had another outstanding performance as he caught eight receptions for 129 yards and missed out on one catch due to an underthrow from Darnold in the third quarter. This was his fourth consecutive 100-yard performance in a game, becoming the first-ever Seahawks receiver to accomplish this.

That is certainly one of the biggest areas from JSN coming out of this game, but he joined a Hall of Fame wide receiver to accomplish a major task. JSN joined the Hall of Fame and Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams legend Isaac Bruce as the only player in NFL history who was 23 years old or younger to account for at least 900 receiving yards within the first eight games of the season. Bruce accomplished this task in 1995 when he accounted for 938 yards.

.@Seahawks WR @jaxon_smith1 joined Isaac Bruce (938 yards in 1995) as the only players 23 years old or younger with at least 900 receiving yards in their first eight games of a season in NFL history. #GoHawks
November 3, 2025
Through the Seahawks' eight games after Week 9, JSN has now caught 58 receptions for 948 yards and four touchdowns. He separated himself at the top of the league from the next leading receiver in yards accounted for. Cincinnati's Ja'Marr Chase has accounted for 831 yards, 117 yards less than JSN.
The Seahawks came into the Sunday Night Football matchup with some lack of experience with wide receivers Cooper Kupp, Jake Bobo, and Darake Young out. This game was an opportunity for the young pass-catchers to have a breakout game as the Commanders were going to key in on JSN through tight single-man coverage or double coverage with a safety involved.
While wide receiver Tory Horton and tight end Elijah Arrayo stepped up in the absence of players like Kupp, JSN still found a way to be one of the biggest stars of the game. His speed, incredible route-running, and ability to pinpoint the ball were a problem for the Commanders' secondary to handle.
JSN made fools out of Washington's main cornerbacks in Trey Amos and Marshon Lattimore. At several points, he juked Amos out of position to completely separate himself and be an easy open target for Darnold. This has been a common theme for JSN the entire season. It will continue to be a recurring process until JSN slows himself down or an elite defender is able to keep up with him, but he has already fooled so many good defenders this season.
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