Jaxon Smith-Njigba Chasing Calvin Johnson's Receiving Yards Record
Seattle's Jaxon Smith-Njigba aims to break Calvin Johnson's single-season receiving yards record, needing 629 yards over the final five games to achieve this challenging feat.
Seattle's Jaxon Smith-Njigba has some serious work ahead if he wants to dethrone "Megatron."
Calvin Johnson holds the NFL's single-season receiving yards recordโ1,964 yards in 2012 with the Detroit Lions. Through 12 games this season, Smith-Njigba has 1,336 receiving yards, putting him on pace to potentially challenge one of football's most impressive individual achievements.
The math is daunting. To break Johnson's record, Smith-Njigba needs 629 yards over the remaining five gamesโan average of 125.8 yards per contest. His season average through 12 games sits at 111.3 yards per game.
The Numbers Tell the Story
Smith-Njigba has posted eight 100-yard games and has exceeded 125 yards four times. He's also recorded performances of 123 and 124 yards. But he hasn't reached 200 yards in any single game this season, with his best efforts coming in Week 6 (162 yards) and Week 12 (167 yards).
Compare that to Johnson's 2012 season: At the 12-game mark, he had 1,428 yardsโ92 yards ahead of Smith-Njigba's current pace. Johnson went nuclear down the stretch, accumulating 536 yards over the final four games, including a dominant 11-catch, 225-yard performance in Week 16. He also notched a 207-yard game in Week 10.
A significant setback came in Week 13 when Smith-Njigba managed just 23 receiving yards in Seattle's 26-0 shutout win over Minnesota.
The Odds and the Reality
Betting markets list Smith-Njigba breaking the record at +400 (a $10 bet wins $50 total)โgenerous odds that reflect the considerable difficulty of the task.
The Seahawks face another complication: their next opponent, the Atlanta Falcons, boasts a top-10 pass defense allowing just under 188 receiving yards per game to opponents. Big yardage games won't come easy.
Johnson reached 1,964 yards in 16 games; Smith-Njigba will have 17 games to reach 1,965. The extra game helps his cause, but the deficit remains substantial with five weeks remaining.
