Jaxon Smith-Njigba gives reason for brutal drop late in Seahawks' loss to 49ers

With under a minute left in regulation of Sunday's game between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers, star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba had an opportunity to put the Seattle offense inside the 49ers' 20-yard line. However, Smith-Njigba shockingly dropped an accurate pass delivered by Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold on that third-and-10 play. 

As Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk noted, Smith-Njigba was visibly shaken up after he took a big hit earlier in the drive. Nevertheless, Smith-Njigba didn't blame any physical setback for his drop while speaking with reporters following Seattle's 32-29 home loss to San Francisco.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba vows to "make the next" catch

"I guess I was thinking too much at that time," Smith-Njigba explained. "Just needed to play free and catch the ball at the end of the day. ...I had the chance to catch the ball, so really just catch the ball. Catch the damn football at the end of the day. I know I’ll make the next one." 

History shows that Smith-Njigba, the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year, will likely come through the next time he is presented with a similar scenario. ESPN stats show that he began Monday leading the league with 583 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns on the season. Additionally, he's tied for fourth in the NFL with 37 receptions. 

Jaxon Smith-Njigba was upset after loss to 49ers

Following the Smith-Njigba drop, Seattle's Cooper Kupp was stopped painfully short of earning a first down that would have extended the drive. After the defeat that dropped the Seahawks to 3-2, Smith-Njigba didn't hide that he was upset about the result. 

"S---, we're p-----," Smith-Njigba said, according to Ari Horton of the Seahawks' website. "We're p-----. We wanted this one. And like I said, defense, special teams, they deserve this win. And it sucks as an offense, myself, feel like we let them down, but we're going to keep pushing. We're a team that just keeps swinging no matter what, and that's why I love this team so much."

Smith-Njigba and Co. won't have much time to get over Sunday's defeat, as the Seahawks next play at the 3-2 Denver Broncos this coming Thursday night. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Seattle as a three-point road favorite for that game.