Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Seahawks Defense 'Played Their Guts Out' in Win vs. Bears
December 27, 2024
Jaxon Smith-Njigba credited the Seattle Seahawks' defense with keeping the team's playoff hopes alive after holding Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears to just three points in Week 17.
Smith-Njigba and the Seahawks won 6-3 on Thursday night in the second NFL game of the season to not feature a touchdown.
"Those guys won us the game today," Smith-Njigba said after the Bears' 6-3 win (h/t The Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar.) "They played their guts out. They dominated.
"Without them, shoot, we'd be sad as hell right now. But they came through for us."
The Seahawks defense racked up seven sacks on Williams as the Bears quarterback was held without a single pass over six yards downfield until the final drive of the game (h/t Next Gen Stats.)
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The Chicago offense finally gained some momentum on that final drive when Williams fired a 15-yard throw to Rome Odunze with just over one minute left on the clock, but Tariq Woolen picked off his next pass to seal Seattle's victory.
The Seahawks offense also struggled on Thursday night, finishing the game with 265 total yards of offense and two field goals in their lowest-scoring game of the season.
Smith-Njigba meanwhile finished the game with three catches for 32 yards in one of his least productive games of the campaign.
Defensive coordinator Aden Durde's unit shone on the other side of the ball with sacks from six different defenders, led by two from Leonard Williams. The outing marked the third time in six games Williams has recorded multiple sacks to help Seattle stay competitive amid Geno Smith's struggles under center.
The Seahawks still need to win the NFC West to make the postseason, but defeating the Bears lowered the odds that the Los Angeles Rams could eliminate them from playoff contention this weekend with a win over the Arizona Cardinals.
A Rams victory on Saturday can still knock the Seahawks out of the playoff picture, but only if combined with at least three wins and a tie from the Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Commanders, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns (h/t NFL Playoff Scenarios.)