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Who will cover Jaxon Smith-Njigba?
This week’s marquee NFC West showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks transcends the compelling MVP quarterback duel, presenting a fascinating tactical chess match featuring two of the league's most explosive wide receivers, Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba and LA’s Puka Nacua. By every statistical measure, these two are operating in a stratosphere of their own in 2025; JSN’s staggering 1,041 yards in just nine games not only dwarfs Ja’Marr Chase’s second-place total but puts him on a trajectory reminiscent of Cooper Kupp’s historic 2021 campaign, a parallel made all the more poignant by Kupp’s offseason move to Seattle.Nacua, despite missing a game, sits third with 775 yards and leads the entire NFL in Estimated Points Added at a remarkable +60. 8, a metric that quantifies his profound, game-altering impact.While the debate over who is the superior receiver is a delightful barroom argument, the more pressing strategic question for Week 11 is which secondary possesses the personnel to effectively contain the other’s elite weapon. For the Rams, the primary challenge is containing the newly-transformed Jaxon Smith-Njigba.After Seattle’s acquisition of Kupp allowed them to shift JSN from a primary slot role to a full-time outside threat, his production has been nothing short of insane, averaging a blistering 18. 9 yards per catch on the perimeter.This places the burden squarely on the shoulders of Rams cornerback Emmanuel Forbes, a player whose career has been a study in volatility but who is currently riding a hot streak reminiscent of the first-round pedigree Washington saw in him back in 2023. Over his last four games, Forbes has been a revelation, surrendering passer ratings of 2.1 against the 49ers, 36. 5 versus the Saints, and two other sub-61 ratings, showcasing the lockdown potential that has finally begun to crystallize.However, facing the synergistic connection between a resurgent Sam Darnold and a receiver of Smith-Njigba’s caliber represents a quantum leap in difficulty, a true litmus test for Forbes’s recent renaissance. Should the Seahawks look to exploit the middle of the field, all eyes will turn to Rams slot defender Quentin Lake, who has been the most targeted and yielding member of the secondary over the past five games, a clear vulnerability that an offensive mind like Seattle's will undoubtedly seek to attack with crossers and mesh concepts.On the other side of the ball, the task of corralling Puka Nacua and the ever-dangerous Davante Adams falls to a Seahawks cornerback room that is as talented as it is enigmatic. The lanky Tariq Woolen, an athlete whose physical tools place him in the 99th percentile, remains a confounding figure; capable of All-Pro flashes one series and becoming a targeted liability the next, as memorably evidenced by his two touchdowns allowed, including the game-winner, in last season's overtime thriller with the Rams.While Coach Mike Macdonald has recently praised Woolen for stacking “incredibly productive” practices, his inconsistency in both coverage and tackling makes him the obvious focal point for Matthew Stafford’s pre-snap diagnostics. The less-heralded Josh Jobe, a former Alabama standout, has arguably been the more reliable option this season, holding quarterbacks to a miserly 60.2 passer rating when targeted, but his health remains a question mark after missing Week 10. The wild card in Seattle's defensive deck is the spectacular rookie Nick Emmanwori, a human missile drafted in the second round who flies around the field with a Kyle Hamilton-like versatility, having logged significant snaps in the slot, at linebacker, and even on the edge.His unique skill set allows the Seahawks to deploy him in a chameleonic role, potentially matching him up on Nacua one play and tight end Tyler Higbee the next, creating a dynamic wrinkle that Sean McVay must account for on every down. With both teams boasting top-five run defenses, this contest will inevitably be decided through the air, a high-stakes battle of execution and strategy where the slightest mismatch—be it Forbes on an island against JSN or Woolen trying to rediscover his form against Nacua—could be the decisive factor that swings the balance of power in the brutally competitive NFC West.
#featured
#Seattle Seahawks
#Los Angeles Rams
#Jaxon Smith-Njigba
#Puka Nacua
#NFL Week 11
#cornerback matchups
#offensive player of the year
