Emmanuel Forbes Jr. had best performance of any CB vs. Jaxon Smith-Njigba all year

Emmanuel Forbes Jr. has revived his career with the Los Angeles Rams after failing to live up to the first-round hype as a member of the Washington Commanders. He was claimed off waivers by L.A. last season and has become a starter for the Rams this year, putting together some outstanding performances through the first 10 games.

He had one of his best games of the season on Sunday against the NFL’s leading receiver, Jaxson Smith-Njigba.

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JSN has been the league’s top wideout all year and though he went over 100 yards receiving once again versus the Rams, it wasn’t because he burned Forbes in coverage. In fact, Forbes performed better against Smith-Njigba than any other defender has this season, according to Next Gen Stats.

Forbes matched up with Smith-Njigba on 20 routes, the most Seattle’s top receiver has faced all year. He caught just three of five targets for 30 yards against Forbes, with an average of 1.5 yards per matchup – a season-low for JSN.

It hasn’t always been perfect for Forbes this season, and he saw his snaps limited earlier this season during some struggles. But he’s exceeded all expectations with the Rams and is showing what made him a first-round pick in 2023.

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After intercepting one pass in each of the last two games, he followed it up with a terrific performance against the league’s best on Sunday. He saved a touchdown on a deep pass to Rashid Shaheed by extending for a crucial pass breakup in the end zone, forcing the Seahawks to settle for a 29-yard field goal instead of taking a 16-14 lead in the third quarter.

The Rams are fortunate to have a player of Forbes’ caliber in the secondary, especially with Ahkello Witherspoon on IR. And the best part? They didn’t have to give up any draft capital to land him last year.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams’ Emmanuel Forbes Jr. locked down Jaxon Smith-Njigba Sunday