For a second time this year, Seattle sports fans are watching a local player chase down an unbelievable record.
Record-chasing JSN could be NFL’s first 2,000-yard receiver
This summer it was Cal Raleigh’s race to set a new record for home runs by a catcher. Then he smashed it and advanced to 60, becoming one of just seven players ever to do so.
This fall, Seattle Seahawks fans are watching as third-year receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba isn’t just chasing the NFL record for receiving yards in a season that’s stood for 13 years, but also has a chance to do something we’ve never seen before: 2,000 receiving yards in a single season.
Here are three numbers you need to know as JSN chases the record.
Your first number that matters is: 1,964
Let’s get the most obvious one out of the way since you’ll be hearing it repeated frequently for the next six weeks.
Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson set the current record (1,964 yards) back in 2012. He became the first player to touch 1,900 yards in a season, and since then just one player has come close – current Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp, who had 1,947 for the Los Angeles Rams in 2021.
Interestingly, a few players — including Smith-Njigba — have outpaced Johnson at this point in the season. Previous names have, obviously, failed to surpass him. But could JSN?
JSN has 1,313 yards right now, just a bit over the 1,257 yards Johnson had through Week 12. But not did Johnson set the record back when the season was just 16 games instead of 17, but his pace improved rapidly in the second half; he added nearly 500 yards between Week 8 and Week 12 alone.
Producing at a similar pace to JSN was Tyreek Hill in 2023, who hit the 1,324 mark at the same point in the season for Miami. Perhaps it was a nagging ankle injury in December, but Hill averaged under 100 yards in the final four games of the season and finished with 1,799 yards (seventh place all-time).
Your second number that matters is: 109
Now we’re just doing math. To break Johnson’s record by one yard, JSN would need to average 109 yards per game (108.6) in the final six weeks. Averaging 115 (687 yards for the next six games) would put him at 2,000.
Two of Seattle’s next six opponents are bottom-10 defenses against the pass this year: the 49ers, who rank 26th (240 passing yards allowed per game), and the Colts, who are 28th (245 passing yards allowed per game). They’re 11th and 12th, respectively, in fantasy points allowed to receivers.
Only one of the Seahawks’ remaining opponents is a top-10 defense against the pass: the Vikings, who they play Sunday.
Your third number that matters is: 1
This is less about JSN chasing history and more about one of the weird quirks with this specific bit of history.
Of the top 10 players in single-season receiving yards during the Super Bowl era, just one has made it to a Super Bowl (ironically, it’s JSN’s teammate Kupp). Johnson’s Lions finished 4-12. Julio Jones’ Falcons didn’t make the playoffs, nor did Isaac Bruce’s 1995 Rams (though both players would eventually make a Super Bowl with those teams).
The 8-3 Seahawks feel like a sure thing for the playoffs, but just how far could they get? Could Smith-Njigba, like his teammate, have the opportunity to chase history and a Lombardi in the same season?
More on the Seattle Seahawks
• Seahawks make a flurry of roster moves, including Quandre Diggs’ return
• Seahawks sign former Rams RB Cam Akers to active roster
• Rams swoop in to take CB Derion Kendrick from Seahawks
• Seahawks legend Earl Thomas named Pro Football HOF semifinalist
• Pass rush bounces back but Seattle Seahawks looking for more
