Seattle Seahawks rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba came up clutch once again Monday night, as he gave the home fans at Lumen Field an early Christmas gift with a game-winning 29-yard touchdown with 28 seconds left to top the Philadelphia Eagles, 20-17.
Smith-Njigba now has three touchdowns this season, two of which have been go-ahead scores in the final minute.
After Monday night's game, he made sure to shout out God, his mom, and of course, the Ohio State Buckeyes.
When asked by ESPN's Scott Van Pelt afterwards, Smith-Njigba admitted that playing at Ohio State helped make the clutch seem routine.
"I mean, The Ohio State, they prepared me for these moments," Smith-Njigba said. "Every game, I come with the same approach, let's win. Let's bring it all on the line. I had that mindset in college, I have that mindset here in the pros. So, you know, I'm just excited. I'm blessed. I'm thankful to the man upstairs Jesus Christ for allowing me to play this game and to have moments like these."
He finished the game with four catches for 48 yards and the touchdown. He's still yet to top 100 yards receiving this season, but he's been a consistent contributor for a Seahawks offense that tends to lack a spark.
While the lights and cameras are deservedly on him, Smith-Njigba said that the play felt like a "big deal" to the offense considering how they had played up to the point.
"We work on two-minute (drill) every single day, every single day," Smith-Njigba said. "For us to go out there and execute, it's a big deal. We had confidence you know, we've been here before, been in a lot of two-minute games and, you know, just for us execute, it's huge. This is a must-win game for us. So just excited we got this one."
The Seahawks and Smith-Njigba will now look to keep playoff hopes alive on Sunday at the Tennessee Titans.
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