The Seattle Seahawks have taken their game to the next level in the 2025 NFL season. The NFC West team is one of the best stories this campaign, posting a 6-2 record after nine weeks and co-leading the division with the Los Angeles Rams.
Sam Darnold has proven doubters wrong again, going 152 of 216 for 2,084 yards and 16 touchdowns against five interceptions. Darnold demonstrated that last year wasn’t a fluke and he’s ready to lead the Seahawks to the playoffs in his first season with the franchise.
He found a solid partner in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is having his breakout season in his third year in the league. JSN has been targeted 79 times, catching 58 passes for 948 yards and four touchdowns. The addition of Rashid Shaheed should take them to the next level in the second half of the season.
Former player says Jaxon Smith-Njigba is this year’s MVP
During Thursday’s edition of ESPN’s “Get Up,” former NFL wide receiver Andrew Hawkins picked Smith-Njigba as this season’s MVP, noting that nobody else was dominating like the third-year player.
“Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the actual MVP of the National Football League,” Hawkins said. “We can make all the mental gymnastic you want to about the quarterback, but nobody’s really dominated, that’s why everyone has an opinion. The person who’s dominating is JSN. He’s averaging 180 yards per game. Last year, he had 1,100 yards, he has (949) in eight games. Last thing I’ll say, 4.6 yards per route. Had Calvin Johnson done that in 2012 when he broke the receiving record, he would have had 3,503 yards that season.”
Other players such as Jonathan Taylor, Daniel Jones, Drake Maye, and even Darnold have posted intriguing numbers, too. Smith-Njigba is playing at a high level, and he will probably get more MVP buzz if he maintains this level.