San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir said he wanted to shut down Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba before their game. But that didn’t happen. Smith-Njigba caught six passes for 84 yards as Seattle beat the 49ers 13-3 on Jan. 3 at Levi’s Stadium.
According to Heavy.com, Lenoir told reporters that he hoped to shadow Smith-Njigba during the game. “Hopefully, I’ll get to shadow JSN,” he said. “I’m ready for this. I hope he ready. Man to man covers me and him. That’s what I want. Me and him.”
After the game, reporters asked Smith-Njigba about Lenoir’s comments. The Seahawks star didn’t hold back with his response. “I definitely heard it,” Smith-Njigba said. “It’s hard to respond back to all my fans. But I knew that we were going to see him today and take care of business.”
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Smith-Njigba praised quarterback Sam Darnold’s leadership in the win
Darnold completed 20 of 26 passes for 198 yards in the game. The Seahawks relied heavily on their running game, gaining 180 yards on the ground. Seattle’s strong run game helped them control the clock late in the game. The team held the ball for 37 minutes and 48 seconds.
Smith-Njigba praised Darnold’s leadership after the win. He said the quarterback led the team and was a complete dog during the game. Smith-Njigba highlighted Darnold’s attitude and approach to the game. In other sports news, a pregame parachute stunt went horribly wrong during a recent bowl game.
The receiver said Darnold prepared well all week to make sure his teammates were ready. He called it top-level work and said he was very happy for the quarterback. Smith-Njigba admitted there are always things to fix but praised how Darnold prepared from the moment they arrived.
Seattle’s defense was the star of the game. They completely stopped San Francisco’s offense. The 49ers managed just 127 passing yards and 53 rushing yards. Seattle sacked Brock Purdy three times and picked him off once.
CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones praised Seattle’s defense after the win. He said people talk a lot about the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos defenses. But he pointed out that Seattle’s defense has been doing this all season. Jones said Seattle is one of the best defenses in the NFL right now. Meanwhile, authorities continue investigating fugitive coach Travis Turner’s disappearance as the search intensifies.
Published: Jan 4, 2026 01:30 pm