49ers CB says he's wants to shadow top Seahawks WR in Week 18

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The San Francisco 49ers will host the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium on Saturday for a primetime battle that will decide the division winner and the top seed in the conference.

While San Francisco's defense has been tough to watch in recent weeks, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir has been solid, and now he's hoping that head coach Kyle Shanahan and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh will entrust him with an important role in Week 18.

"Hopefully I get to shadow JSN (Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba)," Lenoir told reporters earlier this week. "I'm ready for this. I hope he's ready... Man-to-man coverage, me and him. That's what I want."

Smith-Njigba, 23, was Seattle's first-round pick (No. 20 overall) in the 2023 NFL draft out of Ohio State, where he earned All-American honors once.

After a decent first season, Smith-Njigba made the Pro Bowl in 2024, and in 16 games this year, he's caught 113 passes for a league-leading 1,709 yards and 10 touchdowns on his way to a second Pro Bowl.

The former Buckeye was a beast in his first matchup of the year against San Francisco in Week 1, hauling in nine receptions for 124 yards.

If the 49ers want to steal the first seed and secure a first-round bye and home-field advantage all the way through the Super Bowl, they'll want to limit Smith-Njigba as much as possible on Saturday.

More 49ers: 49ers Week 18 playoff seeding scenarios, potential playoff opponents

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Deommodore Lenoir wants to shadow Jaxon Smith-Njigba in Week 18

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