Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been awfully prolific. Christian Gonzalez is one of the best cover corners in the league. And that’s looking like one of the key matchups for Super Bowl LX.
The Patriots have had some willingness to have Gonzalez travel with No. 1 receivers. He’s that kind of corner. But I would think it’s a matchup that favors JSN. Teams haven’t had much success slowing him down.
If Smith-Njigba can come up with 35 yards in Santa Clara, he’ll become just the third receiver ever to go over 2,000 receiving yards in a season (that’s combined regular season and the playoffs). If he can go for 83, the Seahawks oddly will have the top two receivers on that list on the field at the same time (Cooper Kupp had the monster receiving season for the Rams back in 2021).
Only 20 receivers have reached 1,800 yards (including postseason games).
| WIDE RECEIVERS WITH 1,800 YARDS | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | G | Tgt | No | Yards | Avg | TD |
| 2021 | • Cooper Kupp, LAR | 21 | 233 | 178 | 2,425 | 13.6 | 22 |
| 2025 | Puka Nacua, LAR | 19 | 208 | 153 | 2,047 | 13.4 | 12 |
| 2008 | Larry Fitzgerald, Ari. | 20 | 196 | 126 | 1,977 | 15.7 | 19 |
| 2025 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Sea. | 19 | 179 | 132 | 1,965 | 14.9 | 12 |
| 1995 | Jerry Rice, S.F. | 17 | 193 | 133 | 1,965 | 14.8 | 15 |
| 2012 | Calvin Johnson, Det. | 16 | 204 | 122 | 1,964 | 16.1 | 5 |
| 2015 | Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 17 | 205 | 143 | 1,953 | 13.7 | 10 |
| 2005 | Steve Smith, Car. | 19 | 185 | 130 | 1,898 | 14.6 | 15 |
| 2011 | Calvin Johnson, Det. | 17 | 173 | 108 | 1,892 | 17.5 | 18 |
| 2015 | Julio Jones, Atl. | 16 | 203 | 136 | 1,871 | 13.8 | 8 |
| 1999 | Jimmy Smith, Jac. | 18 | 201 | 126 | 1,864 | 14.8 | 8 |
| 2023 | Tyreek Hill, Mia. | 17 | 179 | 124 | 1,861 | 15.0 | 14 |
| 2023 | CeeDee Lamb, Dall. | 18 | 198 | 144 | 1,859 | 12.9 | 12 |
| 2022 | Justin Jefferson, Min. | 18 | 193 | 135 | 1,856 | 13.7 | 8 |
| 2020 | Stefon Diggs, Buff. | 19 | 197 | 147 | 1,846 | 12.6 | 10 |
| 2021 | Ja'Marr Chase, Cin. | 21 | 163 | 106 | 1,823 | 17.2 | 14 |
| 1995 | Herman Moore, Det. | 17 | 221 | 130 | 1,819 | 14.0 | 15 |
| 2014 | Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 17 | 195 | 138 | 1,815 | 13.2 | 13 |
| 2011 | Victor Cruz, NYG | 20 | 162 | 103 | 1,805 | 17.5 | 10 |
| 1989 | Jerry Rice, S.F. | 19 | 158 | 101 | 1,800 | 17.8 | 22 |
Statistics compiled using search tools at Pro-Football-Reference.com
While Gonzalez is a top corner, it’s tough shutting down the special players. And Gonzalez doesn’t seem to be up on the Darrelle Revis level, where he’s capable of erasing No. 1 targets.
Drake London caught 9 passes for 118 yards and 3 TDs at Foxboro. (Re-watching those catches, I see 3 against Gonzalez, including a long, contested throw, but none of the 3 TDs.) Emeka Egbuka had a big game against the Patriots, while Chris Olave – who was a clear No. 1 guy last year – caught 6 for 98.
Tee Higgins (with Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow both out) caught only 5 for 31 against New England. Courtland Sutton caught only 3 passes for 17 yards on Sunday, albeit with a touchdown. And Gonzalez was in coverage on an early 52-yard bomb to Marvin Mims.
Setting aside the first three weeks (when Gonzalez wasn’t playing), I see 12 notable receivers that played against New England. They averaged 5.6 catches for 63 yards, with 5 TDs. That’s good, but it doesn’t dislodge JSN from being the clear favorite to finish with a lot more receiving yards than anyone else in the Super Bowl.
| NOTABLE RECEIVERS AGAINST PATRIOTS | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Site | Result | Tgt | No | Yds | Avg | TD |
| Tetairoa McMillan, Car. | N.E. | L, 13-42 | 8 | 4 | 62 | 15.5 | 0 |
| Khalil Shakir, Buff. | Buff. | L, 20-23 | 9 | 6 | 45 | 7.5 | 0 |
| Chris Olave, N.O. | N.O. | L, 19-25 | 10 | 6 | 98 | 16.3 | 0 |
| Drake London, Atl. | N.E. | L, 23-24 | 14 | 9 | 118 | 13.1 | 3 |
| Emeka Egbuka, T.B. | T.B. | L, 23-28 | 13 | 6 | 115 | 19.2 | 1 |
| Tee Higgins, Cin. | Cin. | L, 20-26 | 6 | 5 | 31 | 6.2 | 0 |
| Wan'Dale Robinson, NYG | N.E. | L, 15-33 | 8 | 7 | 34 | 4.9 | 0 |
| Khalil Shakir, Buff. | N.E. | W, 35-31 | 5 | 5 | 65 | 13.0 | 0 |
| Zay Flowers, Balt. | Balt. | L, 24-28 | 7 | 7 | 84 | 12.0 | 0 |
| Ladd McConkey, LAC | N.E. | L, 3-16 | 4 | 3 | 32 | 10.7 | 0 |
| Jayden Higgins, Hou. | N.E. | L, 16-28 | 10 | 6 | 59 | 9.8 | 0 |
| Courtland Sutton, Den. | Den. | L, 7-10 | 5 | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 1 |
Opponents have been trying to slow down JSN all year, of course, and few have had much. Even though he’s the most heavily featured receiver in the league, they’ve still been able to get the ball to him. He’s accounted for a league-high 44 percent of his team’s receiving yards. That’s partially his ability, and partially the structure of the offense – they don’t spread it around much.
Since the league moved to 16 games in 1978, only 25 other wide receivers have had a season where they’ve accounted for 40 percent of their team’s yards.
| PERCENTAGE OF TEAM'S RECEIVING PRODUCTION | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | No | Yards | Team | Pct |
| 2012 | Brandon Marshall, Chi. | 118 | 1,508 | 3,298 | 45.7 |
| 2005 | Steve Smith, Car. | 103 | 1,563 | 3,485 | 44.8 |
| 2005 | Santana Moss, Wash. | 84 | 1,483 | 3,346 | 44.3 |
| 2025 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Sea. | 119 | 1,793 | 4,063 | 44.1 |
| 2023 | DJ Moore, Chi. | 96 | 1,364 | 3,096 | 44.1 |
| 1999 | Jimmy Smith, Jac. | 116 | 1,636 | 3,716 | 44.0 |
| 2001 | David Boston, Ariz. | 98 | 1,598 | 3,653 | 43.7 |
| 1997 | Yancey Thigpen, Pitt. | 79 | 1,398 | 3,215 | 43.5 |
| 1995 | Isaac Bruce, St.L. | 119 | 1,781 | 4,113 | 43.3 |
| 2008 | Steve Smith, Car. | 78 | 1,421 | 3,288 | 43.2 |
| 1978 | Harold Carmichael, Phil. | 55 | 1,072 | 2,485 | 43.1 |
| 1995 | Michael Irvin, Dall. | 111 | 1,603 | 3,741 | 42.8 |
| 1996 | Isaac Bruce, St.L. | 84 | 1,338 | 3,144 | 42.6 |
| 2006 | Lee Evans, Buff. | 82 | 1,292 | 3,051 | 42.3 |
| 2003 | Anquan Boldin, Ariz. | 101 | 1,377 | 3,265 | 42.2 |
| 2001 | Rod Smith, Den. | 113 | 1,343 | 3,208 | 41.9 |
| 1992 | Sharpe, Sterling, G.B. | 108 | 1,461 | 3,498 | 41.8 |
| 1991 | Michael Irvin, Dall. | 93 | 1,523 | 3,663 | 41.6 |
| 1982 | Stanley Morgan, N.E. | 28 | 584 | 1,420 | 41.1 |
| 2002 | Marvin Harrison, Ind. | 143 | 1,722 | 4,200 | 41.0 |
| 2015 | Julio Jones, Atl. | 136 | 1,871 | 4,602 | 40.7 |
| 2005 | Joey Galloway, T.B. | 83 | 1,287 | 3,171 | 40.6 |
| 2008 | Calvin Johnson, Det. | 78 | 1,331 | 3,299 | 40.3 |
| 2008 | Roddy White, Atl. | 88 | 1,382 | 3,440 | 40.2 |
| 1984 | Art Monk, Wash. | 106 | 1,372 | 3,417 | 40.2 |
| 1997 | Rob Moore, Ariz. | 97 | 1,584 | 3,953 | 40.1 |
—Ian Allan
