How can the Broncos contain Jaxon-Smith Njigba?

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. –– How do the Broncos solve a problem like Jaxon Smith-Njigba?

And in particular, how will they do so without the services of cornerback Pat Surtain II and Talanoa Hufanga, both of whom were officially ruled out Wednesday after not practicing since suffering their respective ankle injuries on Oct. 4 and 11, respectively?

Few have been able to contain the Seattle Seahawks’ third-year wide receiver, who is also the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and the NFL’s current leader in receiving yardage and touchdown catches. He’s very much in the conversation to go back-to-back.

“A guy that can do just about anything,” Broncos safety Brandon Jones said. “He’s a tough matchup, no matter if you (use) man coverage, zone coverage, if you’re trying to double-team him, he’s just a guy that makes plays.”

And therein lies part of the issue of containing Smith-Njigba: Foes have tossed almost everything his way in the last three seasons and little has worked.

“Obviously in the last two years, he’s seen every coverage you can make up in this league, and I’m sure he’s conquered it,” Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said.

And even if you contain him, you still have to bring him down. That’s become a problem, and as a result, only two wide receivers — Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase — have more yardage after the catch than Smith-Njigba.

“When he gets the ball in his hand, he kind of turns into a running back,” Jones said. “A lot of YAC yards. It’s definitely going to be a challenge.”

He doesn’t so much break tackles as he eludes defenders completely; he’s broken just three potential stops in the last two regular seasons, per data from Sport Radar. His average of 5 yards after contact per reception is his highest since his rookie season, when he started three games and averaged 5.5 targets and 3.7 catches per game.

Since then, he’s averaged 9.0 targets and 6.6 receptions per game — including 10 targets and 7.4 catches per game this season.

WHAT THE CAN BRONCOS DO TO CONTAIN SMITH-NJIGBA

For starters, they can mix up their coverage looks, with Joseph noting that a combination of man and zone concepts is necessary.

“They do a great job of moving him around, so, he’s never a target where you can just say, ‘He’s going to be the ‘X’ or the ‘Z.’ He’s even in the backfield from time to time,” Joseph said.

“So, you’ve gotta be careful of your matchups, absolutely, and if you’re in zones and he is moving around, having a scheme to track him with your DBs and your (line)backers.”

The Seahawks will intentionally try to set up mismatches, and if he’s in the backfield, the village of players it will take to contain No. 11 will include Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad.

No Broncos player has been targeted more often than Singleton — 25 times, per PFF data. So, don’t be surprised if Seattle tries to set up a potential matchup with its fourth-year receiver against the veteran inside linebacker.

But one area where the Broncos likely have an edge is in the ability to pressure Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold, who has been mistake-prone in his return from a gluteal-muscle injury.

Darnold looks little like the quarterback who guided the Seahawks to a Super Bowl LX win. He ranks 26th among 30 quarterbacks with at least 100 plays in EPA per play, 26th in air yards per attempt and 29th in ESPN QBR.

He also has the second-highest percentage of turnover-worthy plays so far this season among those 30 passers per Pro Football Focus data. Only Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers is worse.

So, a key to containing Smith-Njigba could be making Darnold uncomfortable.

“Sometimes you can pressure the quarterback and speed him up and win in coverage,” Joseph said.”

And attacking the Seattle passing game at its source could be the key to getting the takeaways this Broncos defense could need most to seize control of Thursday’s game. With Zach Allen on pace for 13.5 sacks and 44 quarterback hits, that’s where the Broncos could begin discombobulating Seattle and neutralizing a receiver who’s wreaked havoc on the league.

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