The Seattle Seahawks barely missed out on scoring a long touchdown in the first quarter of the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday.
The Seahawks had the ball at their 14-yard line for a 3rd-and-6 leading 3-0 midway through the first quarter. Sam Darnold lined up in the shotgun, and the Patriots put seven players at the line of scrimmage, which confused Seattle. Jaylinn Hawkins came in free around the edge, forcing Darnold to step up in the pocket. Under pressure, Darnold floated a ball downfield to a wide open Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Darnold overthrew his receiver, missing out on a potential 86-yard score.
Sam Darnold just barely missed a Jaxon Smith-Njigba 85 yard touchdown.
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) February 9, 2026
HE WAS WIDE OPEN 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/0ps8L7Q7Di
Darnold just missed him with the overthrow.
Though they failed to connect on that pass, Smith-Njigba and Darnold have been in sync throughout the season. JSN led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards during the regular season. His 119 receptions had him fourth in the NFL.
JSN’s postseason numbers entering the Super Bowl were also strong, as he had 13 catches for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns.
