It took a few games, but speedy wide receiver/kick returner Rashid Shaheed is starting to make the impact the Seattle Seahawks were hoping for when they acquired him from the New Orleans Saints at the NFL trade deadline last month.
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After totaling just four catches for 37 yards over his first four games with Seattle, Shaheed has racked up nine receptions for 141 yards over the past two weeks.
Shaheed hauled in four catches for 67 yards against the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 7, including a pair of key third-down conversions. And he had five receptions for 74 yards against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, including two pivotal catches for 25 yards in the final minute to set up Seattle’s game-winning field goal.
In addition, Shaheed showcased his blazing speed with a 100-yard kick return touchdown against the Falcons. He also had a pivotal 28-yard kick return that gave the Seahawks good field position for their game-winning drive against the Colts.
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During Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Tuesday, former NFL quarterback Brock Huard said Shaheed’s performance down the stretch will be pivotal to the Seahawks’ chances of winning the NFC West crown and claiming the NFC’s top seed.
“If they’re going to win the No. 1 seed, if the playoffs are going to go through Seattle, … Rashid Shaheed is going to play a prominent role over these next three weeks, and into a playoff run as well,” Huard said.
A growing chemistry with JSN
The Seahawks have been looking for a consistent complementary receiving threat to take some pressure off star wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, whose NFL-leading 1,541 receiving yards has accounted for a whopping 44.7% of the team’s receiving yardage this season.
Over the past two games, Shaheed has proven capable of serving that role.
Shaheed also seems to be building a growing chemistry with Smith-Njigba, which NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah highlighted Tuesday during his weekly appearance on Brock and Salk.
For instance, Shaheed’s field-stretching presence helped free up Smith-Njigba for a pivotal 39-yard catch-and-run on Sunday that keyed one of Seattle’s fourth-quarter field-goal drives.
“Shaheed’s development and incorporation into this offense – not only getting the ball, but then running off coverage and JSN working underneath him for a big play – you can start to see (those) elements of this offense come together,” Jeremiah said.
Jeremiah even equated it the Detroit Lions’ one-two receiving punch of Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, who both had big games in the Lions’ 41-34 loss to the Rams on Sunday. St. Brown piled up 13 catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns, while Williams had seven catches for 134 yards and a TD.
“Williams is the speed guy. OK, you’ve got Shaheed to play that role. JSN, we’ve talked about him being like Amon-Ra St. Brown. He can do all those same things that (the Lions) had success with,” Jeremiah said.
“I know (the Lions) didn’t win the game, but I think that’s going to be a really, really good tape for Seattle to watch.”
Listen to the full Brock and Salk conversation at this link and hear the full conversation with NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah at this link. Tune into Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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