In the first quarter of Seattle’s blowout 38-14 victory last night, Jaxon Smith-Njigba stepped out of bounds after an 11-yard rush. Commanders’ DT Daron Payne was nearby on sideline. The Seahawks superstar spotted Payne, ran toward him, and appeared to say something before embarking upon his 140-yard onslaught of a now 3-6 Washington team.
Without context, the interaction looks innocuous–a simple exchange, possibly even friendly, that happens dozens of times every game. But as the internet quickly pointed out, there’s a backstory to the play, and it involves beef.
Payne’s Comments on JSN
Leading up to the Seahawks vs. Commanders Sunday Night Football matchup, reporters asked Payne his thoughts on Smith-Njigba and the veteran defensive tackle responded, “Who’s that?” To many fans, the answer seemed like dismissive criticism of the NFL’s receiving yards leader. It immediately felt like bulletin board material for the Seahawks and their 23-year-old superstar.
However, Payne may not have intended to slight JSN. He went on to say, “I ain’t paying him no attention. I’m straight O-line, D-line, man. I’ve got enough on my plate. I know the DB’s, they could tell you better.”
That’s certainly a fair statement from Payne. The 320-pound defensive lineman won’t be asked to drop back and cover Smith-Njigba anytime soon. As he says, his focus is better spent on beating the Seahawks’ offensive line.
In short, it sounds like Payne didn’t mean to mock or offend Smith-Njigba, but there’s still a chance that JSN’s first-quarter interaction with Payne stemmed from the “who’s that?” remark.
Smith-Njigba Continues to Dominate
The Week 9 win was yet another All Pro-worthy game for Smith-Njigba. The former Ohio State Buckeye has eight receptions for 129 yards and one rush for 11 yards. He became the first Seahawk to record four consecutive games with over 100 receiving yards.
“Through the Seahawks’ eight games after Week 9, JSN has now caught 58 receptions for 948 yards and four touchdowns,” Michael Hanich writes for SI. “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.”
Jayden Daniels’ Injury
Last night’s game was overshadowed by an unforunate and gruesome injury to Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year was tackled by Drake Thomas while scrambling midway through the fourth quarter, trailing 38-7, and suffered a dislocated elbow.
“It was a gruesome, gruesome-looking injury, but at its face, going into the MRI, maybe not as bad as it could’ve been. It is, in fact, a dislocated left elbow,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said. “It’s certainly going to knock Jayden Daniels out several weeks. My understandings is X-rays were negative, so that’s a good sign — no fracture. He’s going to have an MRI [this week], maybe to give it a little more time and give it a cleaner read. There’s a possibility this is not a season-ending injury for Jayden Daniels.”
“Commanders QB Jayden Daniels is expected to be sidelined indefinitely due to his dislocated left elbow, but it is uncertain whether his season is over, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted.
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