"The wide receiver has played out of his mind this season. He roasts every defensive coverage and has morphed into a three-level threat: beating man-coverage quickly off the snap, showing fearlessness to attack the middle of the field and stretching away from deep coverage. Klint Kubiak, the Seahawks' offensive coordinator, has channeled the entire Seattle offense through his star receiver. Smith-Njigba lines up everywhere: out wide, in the slot, in the backfield. From any of those looks, he's a matchup nightmare."
"His dominance has meant that the Seahawks can send fewer receivers out in the route, allowing them to keep extra players in to protect Sam Darnold. Only the Rams sent out all five eligible receivers at a lower rate than Seattle this season. In the NFC championship against the Rams, Seattle's rushing attack dried up after an explosive opening. But they continued to convert on third-and-longs thanks to Smith-Njigba, either because of his catches or due to the gravity he creates for other targets."
The Seahawks' run game revived late in the season and into the postseason, but the passing game remains the offensive engine. Almost all passing production flows through Smith-Njigba, who beats man coverage quickly, attacks the middle and stretches defenses vertically. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak routes the attack through Smith-Njigba, who lines up wide, in the slot and in the backfield, creating matchup problems and allowing Seattle to keep extra blockers for Sam Darnold. In the NFC championship, Seattle relied on Smith-Njigba to convert long third downs after the run game stalled. New England could double him or isolate Christian Gonzalez, while pressure on Darnold could undo the passing attack.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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