Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba 'Going To Be A Factor' vs. Lions, Says Pete Carroll

Seattle Seahawks rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a relatively quiet debut against the Los Angeles Rams, but Pete Carroll knows he'll play a bigger role against the Detroit Lions.

The Seattle Seahawks are still licking their wounds from the 30-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, but attention is now turning to the Detroit Lions.

After so much hype and excitement entering the season, Seattle laid an egg at Lumen Field. Amid the team-wide struggles, it's easy to see why rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba didn't have the best of NFL debuts in the Week 1 outing.

But there were extenuating circumstances. It was his first-ever NFL game, he was coming back from wrist surgery and the offense was rendered useless in the second half.

However, coach Pete Carroll still liked what he saw from the former Ohio State star, and expects him to come out swinging on Sunday at Ford Field against the Lions.

“He was comfortable with it," Carroll said of Smith-Njigba's first game. "It was not too big for him it all. Three weeks from his surgery and he didn’t even flinch. He’s ready to go. He didn’t get as many balls as we’d like. He had one that he maybe could’ve handled better, the throw was behind him a bit. But other than that, he was in the game and ready to go. He’s going to be a factor. We just have to get him used to being out there and us used to throwing it to him.”

© Steven Bisig, USA TODAY

Geno Smith already has some serious weapons at his disposal in D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, both of whom surpassed 1,000 receiving yards last season. But now, the veteran quarterback has another genuine threat that he has to get comfortable with.

Smith only completed 16 passes against the Rams, with Metcalf (three catches, 47 yards, one touchdown) being the team's leader in catches and yards. There needs to be a better output against the Lions.

Seattle also only converted two of nine third downs on Sunday which will not put you in a position to win many games of football.

Against Detroit, in a hostile environment, the Seahawks hope that the offense's struggles in Week 1 were a simple blip on the radar and that Smith-Njigba becomes a big factor in Seattle leaving Ford Field with its first win of the season.