It’s a high-stakes Week 18 matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers on January 3 at Levi’s Stadium. The winner of this matchup will clinch the NFC West division title and secure the No. 1 seed in the conference playoffs.
Seattle will face a significant challenge trying to win on the road and will look to lean on its top talents, like Jaxon Smith-Njigba. If the passing game wants to be effective against the 49ers’ bend but don’t break defense, Smith-Njigba will need to go off.
Nonetheless, the Niners know they need to keep the Seahawks star under wraps if they want to win the game. On December 30, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t hold back on his comments regarding Smith-Njigba.
“This year, in the whole league, I think he’s their leading receiver in every game but one,” Shanahan said while speaking to the media (h/t 95.7 The Game). “He’s obviously extremely talented, as most first-round guys are, but it’s hard to know unless I rate it on Madden and their awareness rating.
“But I would guess his real-life awareness rating is off the chart. He’s got very good feel in zones, how to move around. He almost plays in slow motion, but he’s one of the fastest guys out there, so a lot of respect for him.”
Smith-Njigba has had 113 catches for 1,709 yards and has scored 10 touchdowns in 16 games this season for the Seahawks, per StatMuse. Moreover, quarterback Sam Darnold will often look for his No. 1 weapon. In his last two games, Smith-Njigba has seen 25 targets.
Deommodore Lenoir Wants to Cover Seahawks Star
Even after Shanahan’s comments, one 49ers player made his intentions toward Smith-Njigba very clear. While speaking to the media, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir said he’s prepared to take on the challenge of covering the Seahawks standout.
“Hopefully, I’ll get to shadow JSN,” Lenoir told reporters in a December 29 video posted by On SI’s Grant Cohn. “I’m ready for this. I hope he ready. Man to man covers me and him. That’s what I want. Me and him.”
The 49ers’ defense can be prone to giving up yards, as they have adopted a bend-but-don’t-break mentality, with key players like Nick Bosa and Fred Warner suffering regular-season-ending injuries. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see if Lenoir can keep Smith-Njigba quiet on the night.
Kyle Shanahan Doesn’t Hold Back on Deommodore Lenoir
Although Lenoir’s comments could be seen as poking Smith-Njigba and giving the wideout bulletin board material, Shanahan didn’t downplay the confidence that the 49ers’ defensive back has in himself.
“I know [Lenoir] well enough to know that’s what he wants every week,” Shanahan added (h/t 95.7 The Game). “Him lobbying for it really hard just makes me like him more. But we would have to deal with what was the best for our team, and schematically, what we’re going to do.”
Both teams are riding win streaks heading into this massive game. The Seahawks have won six straight games while San Francisco have also won six consecutive games, so one of these two sides will have their winning skid snapped.
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