sportingnews
While wins and losses often dominate NFL evaluations, individual matchups can be just as telling. The final game of Week 9 offered a compelling showdown: Seahawks star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba against the Bears' defensive backs.
Smith-Njigba has been widely regarded as the league's top receiver since the start of last season, and his status atop that hierarchy has remained unchallenged. Yet there is a quiet argument that Chicago made him look decidedly ordinary in its 34-17 win.
Here's how the Bears bottled up Smith-Njigba to secure a statement victory for head coach Ben Johnson's squad over Seattle.
How Bears defense found answer for Jaxon Smith-Njigba problem
Chicago's defense struggled to contain Smith-Njigba's influence in the first half. He was the lone bright spot in Seattle's offense through two quarters, accounting for 92 of Sam Darnold's first 94 passing yards. Smith-Njigba reached the end zone on one of his signature double moves, leaving Tyrique Stevenson grasping at air. Earlier, he had made Jaylon Johnson look equally helpless.
On pace for nearly 200 yards at halftime, Smith-Njigba appeared the most likely threat to Chicago's secondary. But as the second half unfolded, he found it increasingly difficult to affect the game. After making four catches for 92 yards in the first half, the Ohio State product was held without a catch or target until Seattle's final offensive drive.
Smith-Njigba might have been slightly unlucky to receive that distinction. He appeared to bring the Seahawks to the cusp of the goal line at the end of the third quarter, only to be flagged for what seemed a dubious offensive pass interference call. Nevertheless, Seattle simply couldn't get Smith-Njigba involved as intended.
Some of that was Darnold's doing; he struggled for much of the contest. Chicago's secondary stepped up in a major way, and so did its defensive line. Jeffrey Simmons looked like the best player on the field for large portions of Monday's action, recording one sack, two tackles for loss, and six tackles in his Bears debut. Darnold felt pressure early and often.
Smith-Njigba had the ability to frustrate his markers, but Darnold's inability to find him consistently in the second half limited Seattle's offensive rhythm. The result was a fairly underwhelming Smith-Njigba performance, at least by his standards.
For more NFL coverage: How JSN's receiving yards pace compares to Calvin Johnson and Cooper Kupp; Seven candidates the Jets will consider if they fire Aaron Glenn; Ranking the trustworthiness of all 32 NFL kickers; Inside the history of teams trading multiple first-rounders for star defenders.
Originally reported by sportingnews.