The Seattle Seahawks beat the Houston Texans 27–19 at Lumen Field on Monday night to move to 5–2 for the season. Jaxon Smith-Njigba starred again with eight catches for 123 yards and a first-quarter TD, becoming the first Seahawk with 100+ yards and a TD in three straight games.

However, the crowning moment came in the fourth quarter, when Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. stiff-armed Jaxon Smith-Njigba on the return, knocking off the receiver’s helmet. Smith-Njigba chased Stingley out of bounds and shoved him into the Texans’ bench, which instantly drew a swarm of Houston players.

Protecting Smith-Njigiba was none other than field judge Nate Jones, who stepped in front of the player and shielded him from the crowd. As per ESPN’s Peter Schrager, Jones is himself a former NFL player who played eight seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, the Miami Dolphins, the Denver Broncos, and the New England Patriots.

He was the 7th pick of the 2004 NFL draft and has been an NFL official since 2019. His quick action drew praise from the ESPN broadcast for protecting the bare-headed Smith-Njigba, who had been surrounded and outnumbered.

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The incident capped a night in which Smith-Njigba dominated the Texans’ defense, accounting for roughly half of the Seahawks’ total catches. The officials later flagged Stingley for unnecessary roughness, and the Seahawks held on to seal the win.

The Seahawks’ defense held Houston to 254 yards, three sacks of C.J. Stroud, and no offensive touchdowns until late in the fourth quarter. Seattle still survived four turnovers and a 2-for-14 third-down night because the defense controlled the line and the run (56 Houston rush yards).

Seattle played without Devon Witherspoon and Julian Love, yet still pressured Stroud on roughly a third of his dropbacks. Uchenna Nwosu logged his sixth sack in as many games.

They will now take on the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium on November 2.