SEATTLE — In the Seattle Seahawks’ season-opening, 17-13 loss to San Francisco on Sept. 7, Jaxon Smith-Njigba provided a preview. In his first game without DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, the 23-year-old excelled, torching the 49ers for nine catches and 124 yards. Smith-Njigba earned 13 of his team’s 22 targets, and his teammates combined for just seven catches and 26 yards.

“Jax made a lot of great plays,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said in the aftermath. “There’s more opportunities for him out there, which I’m sure he’ll tell you. We’re going to count on everybody and see who else steps up so it’s not the ‘Jax Show’ every snap.”

Little did he know.

In the 10 games and 11 weeks since, it’s been the Jax Show almost every snap. Smith-Njigba has exploded for 80 catches, 1,313 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, becoming the first player in NFL history with 75-plus receiving yards in each of his team’s first 11 games. He logged eight catches (on 10 targets), 167 receiving yards and two more touchdowns Sunday in the Seahawks’ 30-24 win over the Titans, passing Metcalf for the franchise’s season receiving yards record in the process.

Smith-Njigba is on pace to catch Detroit’s Calvin Johnson, who set the NFL’s season receiving record with 1,964 yards in 2012.

This is a show the likes of which we’ve never seen.

But where would the Seahawks be without Smith-Njigba?

That is not a comforting question.

After all, the former first-round draft pick entered Sunday’s game with a 37.2% target share, the highest rate of any player, according to hashtagfootball.com. He has been Seattle’s offensive engine. That reliance is yielding results, as the 8-3 Seahawks lead the NFL in yards per play (6.3) and sit third in scoring (29.5 points per game) and fourth in passing (248.5 yards per game).

This is already an explosive offense, to pair with a productive defense.

But imagine how much better the Seahawks can be.

While the Jax Show’s weekly episodes don’t disappoint, its supporting cast can be more consistent. That starts under center, where Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold’s 10 interceptions are tied for fourth-most in the NFL. The 28-year-old has largely succeeded in Seattle, pacing the league in yards per attempt (9.3) while throwing for 2,785 yards and 19 touchdowns.

But there have been blemishes. Darnold’s turnovers have proved costly in each of Seattle’s three losses. A week after surrendering four interceptions in a 21-19 defeat against the rival Rams, Darnold completed 16 of 26 passes and threw for 244 yards with two touchdowns and zero turnovers against the Titans on Sunday. But three of his passes were nearly picked, and Seattle’s 20 turnovers remain the second-most in the NFL.

Big picture, the Seahawks would also benefit from a semblance of balance. In three games since joining the Seahawks, wide receiver Rashid Shaheed has mustered just three catches (on eight targets) for 30 yards. Seattle wouldn’t have traded a fourth- and fifth-round pick for an impending free agent without expecting an instant impact. But thus far, at least, Shaheed hasn’t fully arrived.

As for other options? Veteran Cooper Kupp ranks second on the Seahawks in receiving yards (414) … with nearly a thousand fewer than Smith-Njigba. The 32-year-old has managed more than two catches in just one of his past five games and tallied a single touchdown. With rookie Tory Horton on injured reserve, Shaheed and Kupp must attract attention — if not targets.

The same can be said of Seahawks tight ends AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo. Though Barner has proved a capable pass-catcher and red-zone target, both of his catches Sunday came on the Seahawks’ opening drive. Arroyo, a rookie third-round pick, has managed more than two catches just once this season, while contributing a combined two catches for 10 yards in his past three games.

But speaking of the Seahawks’ past three games?

The running game is getting going.

Seattle has rushed for 149 yards per game, 4.4 yards per carry and four scores in that span, as Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet have found their footing. Walker contributed 71 rushing yards, three catches and 30 receiving yards Sunday, with 59 yards coming on three consecutive plays.

“Get 9 [Walker] the ball and good things happen,” Smith-Njigba said Sunday. “His elusiveness is next level. I’ve never seen it before. We’ve just got to block better and create more open lanes for him.”

Statistically, the Seahawks are already one of the best offenses in the NFL.

They can and should be even better.

Despite the recent results, they rank 25th in the NFL in yards per carry (3.9), behind an offensive line missing injured center Jalen Sundell. On Sunday they went 2 for 7 on third down against the Titans and produced 11 penalties. It was the first time in Darnold’s past five games that he didn’t throw an interception and just Seattle’s second game all season without a turnover. The Seahawks scored touchdowns on just two of four red-zone trips and are doing so at a 61.5% clip this season (11th in the league).

Between the Jax Show and Cal Raleigh’s 60-homer season, Seattle sports fans have been recently treated to history. But it takes more than a generational home-run hitter to win a championship.

Offensively, more Seahawks will have to step up down the stretch.

“He’s got tremendous ability, and he’s a great talent, and he’s an incredible worker. But I would say it’s a team thing,” Macdonald said of Smith-Njigba on Sunday. “He’s not the only guy running routes out there. He’s not the guy protecting. I think our offensive staff does a great job of moving him around, which is not easy to play multiple positions and move around.

“I think the guys around him are playing at a high level, too. And I think we can be better.”

How much better can the Seahawks be?

That’s a more comforting question.

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