Seahawks Star Predicted To Win Major NFL Award

Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s dominant season is catching national attention. 

ESPN’s midseason forecast just put another spotlight on Smith-Njigba’s breakout. In a panel of 15 analysts offering second-half predictions, Matt Bowen tabbed the Seattle Seahawks wide receiver to win Offensive Player of the Year, pointing to a league-best 118.5 receiving yards per game and a steady 10.0 targets per game in Klint Kubiak’s offense. Bowen added a caveat: Smith-Njigba likely needs a touchdown surge to outpace Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who already has 14 total scores.

The prediction arrives as Week 10 begins, with ESPN noting Denver’s win over Las Vegas moved the Broncos temporarily atop the AFC while Seattle sits among NFC leaders alongside Tampa Bay and Philadelphia. Translation: Seattle’s star wideout is producing in the middle of a real conference race.

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Why ESPN Thinks Jaxon Smith-Njigba Can Close the Deal

The case starts with volume and efficiency. Smith-Njigba’s 118.5 yards per game pace leads the NFL, and his 58 receptions through eight games fuel that average. ESPN’s write-up underscores the traits behind the numbers: a “savvy route runner” who “uncover[s] at all three levels of the field” and plays “much faster than his timed speed.” Those are hallmarks of a receiver winning before and after the catch in a system designed to feed him consistently. 

Independent tracking sites back up the headline figures. Statmuse pegs Smith-Njigba at 118.5 receiving yards per game with 948 yards on 58 catches, putting him on a 2,000-yard watch that’s drawing national attention. ESPN’s player page likewise lists him No. 1 in receiving yards to date.

It isn’t just empty volume. Recent game scripts have tilted toward Smith-Njigba as Seattle’s primary engine. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Month for October with 417 yards and three scores in three games, a heater that included multiple 100-yard outings and showed he can spike weeks with explosive gains. 

Seattle’s broader context helps, too. ESPN framed its predictions inside a standings check that placed the Seahawks among the NFC’s pace-setters after nine weeks, which keeps JSN on national TV and in meaningful games where award narratives are made.

JSN also is receiving help. The Seahawks traded for speedster Rashid Shaheed from New Orleans, potentially adding a new dynamic wrinkle to an already potent Seahawks offense. 

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The Hurdle: Jonathan Taylor & the TD Math

Awards voters love touchdowns. That’s the one area where Smith-Njigba trails the presumed running back rival. Taylor’s 2025 stat line – 895 rushing yards and 14 total touchdowns through nine games – has restored his reputation as a weekly game-breaker and a red-zone hammer for a surging Colts team. That puts pressure on JSN to finish drives, not just chains.

Bowen acknowledges the calculus directly: Smith-Njigba “will likely need a bump in touchdown production (four this season)” to sustain OPOY buzz against Taylor’s gaudy total. The path is there – Seattle is designing volume to JSN in the high-leverage parts of the field, and a small shift in red-zone targets or YAC variance could swing the count fast. One multi-TD afternoon can reset the race.

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What the Second Half Could Look Like

Schedule and stakes matter. ESPN’s midseason package laid out a competitive NFC where the Rams, Eagles and Buccaneers loom, and where MVP talk is centered on Matthew Stafford. That’s good news for JSN: if the conference remains tight, Seattle won’t be resting stars in Week 17, and every catch will carry playoff implications – voter rocket fuel.

There’s also precedent for a wide receiver winning OPOY on the strength of volume plus efficiency (think Cooper Kupp in 2021). If Smith-Njigba maintains his yards-per-game lead and adds a handful of extra touchdowns, he’ll have the resume lines voters tend to reward: league leader in yards, multiple signature games, and production in a division race.

Bottom line: ESPN just elevated Smith-Njigba from “breakout” to bona fide awards contender. The final two months will come down to red-zone production, and whether Seattle keeps stacking wins while JSN keeps stacking 100-yard boxes. 

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