Published October 23, 2026 11:02 AM
With the Chiefs facing the Seahawks on Sunday night, Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has the unenviable task of scheming to slow down Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
No one has really been able to do that over the last two seasons, as the reigning AP offensive player of the year currently leads the league in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
“He’s elite, really elite,” Spagnuolo said in his Thursday press conference, via transcript from the team. “There’s a lot of big-name wide receivers out there in the NFL, and just in talking with people and you ask questions — and Mike Macdonald’s a good friend and [Seahawks assistant head coach] Leslie Frazier in Seattle — but everything that comes back about him as a person [is] high character. And you have that kind of talent and that kind of high character, that’s a pretty good thing to have. And then you’re on the other side of it, it’s a pretty tough thing to defend against.
“So, we’ve got a lot of respect for him.”
In six games, Smith-Njigba has tallied 49 receptions for 717 yards with seven touchdowns. His lowest output of the season has been five catches for 76 yards, which came in the victory over the Chargers on Oct. 4.
We’ll see if the Chiefs can keep him under that on Sunday night.