Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba enters Saturday night's matchup as one of the NFL's most productive pass-catchers. He leads the league in receiving yards (1,709) and yards per touch (14.5), serving as a driving force behind Seattle's offensive success. While the San Francisco 49ers offense ranks seventh in the NFL at 362.6 yards per game, the Seahawks are close behind at No. 8 (350.8), with Smith-Njigba playing a central role.

Given those numbers, it's no surprise that 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir is eager for the challenge. As both teams meet this weekend with the NFC West title, the No. 1 seed, and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs on the line, Lenoir made it clear he welcomes a one-on-one matchup with Smith-Njigba.


"Hopefully, I get to shadow JSN," Lenoir said this week. "I'm ready for this. I hope he ready ... Man-to-man coverage, me and him. That's what I want—me and him."

That confidence is exactly what head coach Kyle Shanahan expects from his veteran defensive back.

"I know D-Mo well enough to know that's what he wants every week," Shanahan said. "So, him lobbying for it really hard just makes me like him more. But it would have to do with what was the best for our team, schematically, and what we were going to do."

General manager John Lynch echoed Shanahan's comments, emphasizing that Lenoir's remarks are rooted in respect rather than bravado.

"That's D-Mo, and that's what we love about him," Lynch told NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco. "He wants the biggest stage. Implicit in that remark, I think, is a respect for Njigba. It's not saying, 'Hey, this is a guy I'm going to put to shame.' It's like, 'I know I'm going up against a really good player. We're going up, and I want to help my team in any way possible.' And so you love that from your players."


Whether Lenoir gets his wish remains uncertain. While Shanahan stressed that the 49ers will do whatever they believe gives them the best chance to win, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh explained why having one corner shadowing a top receiver isn't always a simple decision.

"We're a zone-based defense, so if it was man coverage, easy for him," Saleh said. "But then it is a little bit more difficult for the other guys. Like, how does everybody else align? Do you go match, where everyone just picks a number? What if that number's not on the field? Do you pick a different number? Or is it, alright, we're all going to align off of D-Mo? And what if D-Mo's in the slot? Does that put the nickel out on number one, where he's not used to being?

"So, techniques change within your man principles because now you're in different locations. Now, put yourself in zone. You're trying to match up where he is. Now, D-Mo's in the slot. Does that mean [CB] Upton's [Stout] now playing corner third, which he hasn't done all year? And so, there are a lot of new techniques that you're going to ask a guy to do.

"It's very expensive, not for the guy traveling, but for the guys not traveling, if that makes sense. Now, can it be done? Of course, it can be done. Do we have it in our inventory? Absolutely. Can we? Maybe. So, we'll see."

When a reporter suggested that the detailed explanation likely meant that having Lenoir shadow Smith-Njigba on Saturday was unlikely, Saleh simply smiled and laughed.

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