‘Felt comfortable over there’: Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba talks about skirmish on Texans sideline
An official and Seattle Seahawks’ Cooper Kupp (10) lean over Jaxon Smith-Njigba, sitting on Houston Texans team bench, after the Texans’ Derek Stingley Jr. intercepted a pass late in the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press
Jaxon Smith-Njigba had several huge moments Monday night, but it was the skirmish he calmly sat through while he was surrounded by Houston Texans players in enemy territory that probably will most be remembered from the Seattle Seahawks’ 27-19 victory at Lumen Field.
After Derek Stingley Jr., picked off a pass midway through the fourth quarter, the Texans cornerback stiff-armed Smith-Njigba and ripped off his helmet as both players went into the Texans’ sideline. With his helmet off, the Seahawks receiver gave Stingley a two-handed shove in the back that caused players on the Texans sideline to swarm him, including linebacker Christian Harris, who ran up on Smith-Njigba and pushed him down on the bench.
Smith-Njigba said he was never worried as he stayed seated with both hands in the air while Texnas players were buzzing around him.
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“Nah, I told them I felt comfortable over there,” said Smith-Njigba, who finished with eight catches for 123 yards and a touchdown. “It’s Monday night, I’m not really worried about anything when it comes to my face and all that.”
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said he wanted to get a better look at a replay to see exactly what happened, but was pleased that his receiver didn’t react in the moment.
“It didn’t look good over there, you know?” he said. “I’m glad that he’s OK and I’m glad that he made a smart decision in that moment. That was a really, really poised, smart decision.”
Cooper Kupp was one of the few Seahawks players able to get in the middle of everything to protect Smith-Njigba, and he saw exactly what his fellow receiver saw: A numbers game in the wrong direction.
“That was a really good job, awareness that he’s outnumbered. There were only a couple of us that were able to get in there to try to help him out,” Kupp said. “Good call keeping his calm there.”
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The best move in the whole situation actually was made by referee Nate Jones, who played eight years as a defensive back in the NFL, including four with the Dallas Cowboys. The 43-year-old Jones pushed his way through all the Texans players, then covered up Smith-Njigba with an arm on each side of him, grabbing the bench, to protect the receiver.
“We had a nice little conversation,” Smith-Njigba said of Jones. “I took a deep breath, try to enjoy the moment as much as I could and run back to my sideline.”
Stingley was hit with a 15-yard penalty for ripping off Smith-Njigba’s helmet, but nothing else was called, although it wouldn’t be a surprise if Harris ends up getting a fine from the league.
“I was talking to the official, telling him, ‘Hey, you should throw a flag because he just got shoved into the bench.’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, I know,’ but he couldn’t throw the flag because he had his hands on the bench,” Kupp said. “So, we had a good little discussion over there and were able to get out of that. I’m glad Jax is alright.”
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Stingley’s penalty was one of five 15-yard penalties for the Texans, including one on the game’s final play that allowed Seattle to run out the clock.
“Penalties are things that we control. So, we have to do a better job of controlling those and making smart decisions,” said Texans coach DeMeco Ryans, while adding that he’d have to go back and look at film to see what happened with Smith-Njigba on the sideline.
