Smith-Njigba, defense show out
again for Seahawks in 27-19 win against Texans
[October 21, 2025]
By ANDREW DESTIN
SEATTLE (AP) — Jaxon Smith-Njigba called it spontaneous. Sam Darnold
was simply surprised.
The reserved Smith-Njigba, who has let his play speak for itself
while leading the NFL in yards receiving this season, decided to
celebrate his fourth touchdown catch of the season in style.
After corralling an 11-yard pass from Darnold in the end zone to
give the Seattle Seahawks a 14-0 lead on the Houston Texans late in
the first quarter , Smith-Njigba effortlessly and gracefully
slam-dunked the football on the crossbar of the goalposts. He drew
an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the process, but helped guide
the Seahawks to a 27-19 win on Monday night.
“That was very spontaneous,” Smith-Njigba said. “Definitely saw a
lot of my favorites do it (growing up), but that was really on the
spot right there.”
Smith-Njigba caught eight passes for 123 yards receiving, good for
his NFL-leading fifth 100-yard receiving game of the season. He
became the second player in franchise history to record three
straight 100-yard games, and his five 100-yard games this season are
tied for the second-most in a year by any Seahawks player.
As stellar as Smith-Njigba has been in his third NFL season, what
he’s put forth on the regular has become somewhat expected. From
teammate and 2021 AP NFL Offensive Player of the year Cooper Kupp’s
perspective, though, Smith-Njigba’s excellence should be
appreciated.
“There’s nothing routine about what he’s been able to do
productivity-wise,” Kupp said. “It’s very difficult. That’s
difficult. Takes a lot of work to be able to do that. I think that’s
the standard.”
Outside of Smith-Njigba’s success, the Seahawks didn’t get a whole
lot going offensively against the No. 1 rated scoring defense in the
NFL. Seattle did strike first, though, when running back Zach
Charbonnet plunged in from one yard out on the Seahawks’ second
drive of the game to give them a 7-0 lead.
They had excellent field position thanks to linebacker Uchenna Nwosu
sacking C.J. Stroud for an 18-yard loss, which pinned the Texans at
their own one-yard line. It was the third-longest sack in Seahawks
franchise history by Nwosu, who missed Seattle’s first game of the
season and was limited due to injuries in 2023 and 2024.
“It’s amazing to see him play like this right now,” defensive end
Leonard Williams III said of Nwosu.
Charbonnet punched in his second touchdown of the game, a two-yard
rush, late in the third quarter to give the Seahawks a 27-12
advantage.
Houston, meanwhile, scored its first touchdown of the game when
Darnold was strip-sacked in his own end zone midway through the
third quarter. Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. recovered the
fumble in the Seahawks’ end zone, but Houston failed to convert its
two-point conversion attempt.
“At the end of the day,” Darnold said, “I got to get the ball out of
my hands.”
The Texans’ only offensive touchdown came courtesy of a four-yard TD
pass from Stroud to running back Woody Marks with only 2:04
remaining in regulation.
“Our defense kept us in the whole game,” Stroud said. “Got to help
those guys out and score some points somehow, some way.”
Ka’imi Fairbairn added two field goals for the Texans, whose
two-game win streak was snapped and dropped to 2-4 on the year.
Jason Myers, meanwhile, converted two of three attempts for the
Seahawks, who advanced to 5-2 on the season and moved into a tie
atop the NFC West with the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams
heading into their bye week
“I think we got our bye at the perfect time,” Williams said. “It’s
almost midseason right now. I think we’re going into it feeling good
about what we’ve accomplished so far.”
[to top of second column] |
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) is sacked by Seattle
Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, bottom, in the first half of an
NFL football game Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, in Seattle. (AP
Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Jiving Jones
Linebacker Ernest Jones IV set a career-high with his third
interception of the season, picking off Stroud on the Texans’ first
drive of the third quarter. Jones dropped into coverage and slid in
front of a pass intended for Houston’s leading receiver, Nico
Collins, and returned it 28 yards.
“This one here caught me off guard a little bit,” Jones said. “I
didn’t see it until the last moment; just glad I was able to come
down with it.”
The Seahawks increased their lead to 17-6 on a 26-yard field goal by
Myers after Jones’ interception.
Jones also had a game-high 11 total tackles, four solo tackles, one
tackle for loss and one pass defended in the victory. He leads the
Seahawks in interceptions, total tackles and solo tackles.
“He’s really important,” Williams said of Jones. “He’s pretty much
the quarterback of the defense. He keeps everyone calm. He hypes
everyone up.”
Houston, we have a protection problem
Stroud was sacked three times on Monday night, and hit another seven
times by Seattle’s pass rush. Seven games into the season, the
Texans’ offensive line has allowed Stroud to be sacked 18 times, a
significantly better rate than the 2024 season
Last year, Stroud was sacked 52 times in 17 games. Despite the
improvement, right tackle Tytus Howard recognized Monday’s showing
was a step back for the Texans. Houston coach DeMeco Ryans added
that Houston’s offensive line was sloppy in defeat.
“We were complacent today,” Howard said. “We didn’t come out with
enough energy to start the game.”
Home, sweet home
Monday’s victory moved Seattle’s home record to 2-2. Last season,
the Seahawks went 3-6 at Lumen Field, including four double-digit
losses.
In 2024, the Seahawks finished the season with a 7-1 record away
from home, which matched their best road record in franchise
history. Seattle also went 7-1 away from Lumen Field in 2019.
Heading into the 2025 season, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald was
optimistic the Seahawks would be able to more frequently make the
most of their homefield advantage that the at-times deafening Lumen
Field can turn into for the opposition.
“The 12s were on fire,” Macdonald said. “Great atmosphere. Our guys
are fired up. Our home crowd was just tremendous.
Injuries
Seahawks: WR Dareke Young suffered a hip injury in the second half
and did not return.
The Seahawks played without linebacker Derick Hall and two starting
defensive backs: S Julian Love and CBs Devon Witherspoon.
Texans: Nico Collins was evaluated for a concussion in the second
half and did not return. The Texans played without wide receiver
Christian Kirk, running back Dameon Pierce and defensive end Darrell
Taylor.
Up next
Texans: Hosts San Francisco next Sunday.
Seahawks: Bye week, followed by visiting Washington on Nov. 2.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
