SEATTLE — Midway through the fourth quarter of the Seattle Seahawks’ 27-19 victory Monday night, a Houston Texans defender shoved a helmetless Jaxon Smith-Njigba onto the visiting team’s bench. To prevent a scuffle, an official ran over and shielded Smith-Njigba until the dust settled.
And that was pretty much the only time someone managed to cover Smith-Njigba all night.
“We had a nice little conversation,” Smith-Njigba joked after the game. “I took a deep breath, tried to enjoy the moment as much as I could and (then) run back to my sideline.”
The Seahawks (5-2) hung 27 points on the league’s No. 1 scoring defense and enter their Week 8 bye week riding high, primarily because the Texans had few answers for Smith-Njigba. He entered the game leading the league in receiving yards and only added to that cushion, with 123 yards and a touchdown on eight catches against a talented Houston secondary, headlined by All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.
“I love it,” said Smith-Njigba, whose 819 receiving yards put him comfortably ahead of the second-place wideout, Ja’Marr Chase (629). “I love the matchup. When I’m working in the offseason or training camp, I’m thinking about going against the best guys. (Stingley) is definitely one of those. It was a good night.”
This was Seattle’s second nationally televised game of the season and the first at Lumen Field. It didn’t kick off until 7 p.m. local time, but those who made it through the whole way witnessed two undeniable truths about coach Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks.
No. 1: Smith-Njigba is currently the league’s best wide receiver.
No. 2: Macdonald once again has an elite defense.
“We’ve just got a different type of mindset — a kill mindset,” defensive tackle Byron Murphy II said. “It don’t matter who we line up against. We’re just trying to prove to the league that we’re the best defense in the league. Everybody on the defense has that mindset.
“We’ve all got each other’s backs. We believe in one another and play hard for one another, and I feel like that’s what it’s all about.”
This game alone doesn’t solidify Seattle’s place among the top defenses given the struggles that the Texans (2-4) have had on offense. But the performance displayed Monday night is how the Seahawks have looked in virtually every game this season, save for a Week 5 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Running the ball is a chore against Murphy and the rest of Seattle’s front. Houston’s running backs had 31 yards on 15 attempts and recorded just one first down. Seattle had five tackles for loss on run plays and added a stop for no gain in the third quarter when Murphy and linebacker Ernest Jones IV dropped Woody Marks on third-and-1.
Down Pro Bowl defensive backs Devon Witherspoon (knee) and Julian Love (hamstring), the pass defense was swarming. Seven players combined to record 12 pass breakups. Macdonald continues to scheme ways for players at all three levels to affect the quarterback in the backfield. In the third quarter, cornerbacks Josh Jobe and Riq Woolen blitzed quarterback CJ Stroud, who threw an errant pass that was intercepted by Jones. Later in the quarter, safety Ty Okada came untouched on a blitz and sacked Stroud on third-and-10.
Safety blitz goes unblocked for a Ty Okada sack 😤
HOUvsSEA on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/kXqEJcG2yw— NFL (@NFL) October 21, 2025
“Coach Mike dials it up, man,” said Okada, who made his fourth start in place of Love. “It’s awesome when you can be a DB, linebacker or a defensive lineman on this team and you can just let his call speak to you. It’ll let you know what to expect based on what he calls, and you know he’s always going to be dialed in. He’s absolutely a mastermind back there.”
The Seahawks’ defense ranks fourth in opponent points per drive and sixth in EPA per play (all stats provided by TruMedia). They have a top-10 third-down unit, which held Houston to a conversion rate of 13 percent (2-for-15). Stroud completed 46.9 percent of his passes and averaged 4.7 yards per attempt. His 4-yard touchdown to Marks with 2:04 remaining made the final score look respectable, but Houston’s offense was on its heels most of the night.
Seattle came into this season with a point to prove on defense. It viewed the back half of the 2024 season as a precursor to fielding the league’s best unit in 2025. Through seven weeks, the goal is very much attainable because of how consistently chaotic the defense makes life for the opposition.
“This has been the best defense I’ve been a part of,” defensive tackle Leonard Williams said. “Not because of stats or anything on paper. It’s the type of mindset that we have. The togetherness, the brotherhood that we have on this defense is really special.”
There’s something to be said for the Seahawks’ offense scoring as often as it did against the Texans, given how careless the players were with the ball. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp threw an interception in the second quarter on a trick play, and Houston responded with a scoring drive to cut the deficit to 14-3. Sam Darnold fumbled in the end zone in the third quarter, and Houston recovered to trim Seattle’s lead to 17-12.
Tight end Elijah Arroyo fumbled on Houston’s 45-yard line in the fourth quarter. Darnold was intercepted in that quarter, too, marking Seattle’s fourth turnover (Stingley’s runback on that play led to Smith-Njigba’s post-play chat with the official on Houston’s bench). The Seahawks became the first team to win a game this season with a minus-3 turnover margin or worse. They did enough to win, but it was far from a clean game.
“The funny part is a bunch of guys in this locker room are happy with the win and honestly kind of disappointed with the way the offense performed, in the second half especially,” wide receiver Jake Bobo said. “We thought we left something on the table. … Yeah, we hung 27 on those guys, but we thought we had more in the tank. We’re chasing more.”
The difference maker was Smith-Njigba, who started the night by beating Stingley for an 11-yard touchdown. The third-year wideout had four catches of at least 16 yards, three in critical moments. Seattle converted only 2 of 14 third-down attempts, and both came on 19-yard receptions by Smith-Njigba with Stingley in coverage. Smith-Njigba also had an 18-yard catch on fourth-and-1 that set up a field goal in the third quarter. As usual, he couldn’t be stopped.
Smith-Njigba said he’s off to a “pretty good” start, which is an understatement, to say the least. He’s on pace to break Calvin Johnson’s single-season record for receiving yards, and his connection with Darnold is essentially carrying this offense.
“It’s the work that we put in,” Darnold said of his chemistry with Smith-Njigba.
The Seahawks operate with a heavy emphasis on proving themselves right every week. This game was another step in the right direction on two notable fronts. Smith-Njigba continues to show he’s correct to believe no one can guard him, and Macdonald’s defense is picking up where it left off last year as a top-tier unit.
And the best part, according to outside linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence: “We can be better.”
