When the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots last met in Week 2 of the 2024 season, Jaxon Smith-Njigba put on a show-12 catches, 117 yards, and a 23-20 win that, in hindsight, felt like the beginning of something bigger. Fast forward to now, and that performance looks less like a breakout and more like a blueprint. As these two teams prepare to square off again, this time with a Super Bowl on the line, the Seahawks’ offense still runs through JSN-and that early-season tape tells us exactly why.
Back in that September matchup, Smith-Njigba was getting matchups he just doesn’t see anymore. He lined up both in the slot and out wide, and the Patriots mostly played him straight up.
No shadow coverage from Christian Gonzalez. No bracket help.
No double-teams. That’s not happening again.
Not with what JSN has become.
Since that game, the Seahawks have undergone a transformation-schematically and philosophically. Ryan Grubb’s offense was still in place back then, but it’s now Klint Kubiak calling the shots.
And what Kubiak has done is nothing short of revolutionary. He scrapped the vertical-heavy attack and rebuilt it horizontally, creating a system that turns Smith-Njigba into a matchup nightmare on every snap.
It’s motion-heavy, spacing-smart, and designed to get the ball into JSN’s hands in rhythm and on the move. Defenses know it’s coming.
They still can’t stop it.
What’s wild is watching how teams slowly started to adjust as the season wore on. You can see it in the film-the Patriots began shading safeties his way, dropping linebackers underneath, and even rolling coverage over the top.
None of it worked. That game was the moment the Seahawks realized they had something special, and they leaned all the way in.
As defenses tilted toward JSN, DK Metcalf and the rest of the offense found more room to operate. But make no mistake-this offense belongs to number 11.
Now, with the Lombardi Trophy on the line, the Patriots won’t make the same mistake twice. Expect Gonzalez to see more time on JSN.
Expect exotic coverages. Expect help.
But also expect Smith-Njigba to rise to the occasion. He’s done it all year-turning tight windows into first downs, turning broken plays into highlight reels, and turning a promising young career into something legendary.
Seattle’s offense has become one of the most modern and efficient in the NFL, and it all traces back to that early glimpse in Foxborough. The Patriots got a front-row seat to what JSN could do. Now, they’ll have to try to stop what he’s become.
And if the Seahawks are going to hoist the Lombardi for the first time since the Legion of Boom era, it’s going to be because Jaxon Smith-Njigba once again proves he’s the kind of player who doesn’t just show up in big games-he defines them.