SEATTLE — On Dec. 23, 2018, the Seattle Seahawks hosted Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs. On "Sunday Night Football," Seattle was buoyed by indomitable running back Chris Carson, who bulldozed defenders for 116 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 38-31 win.

“Chris Carson is the best that there is in this league,” then-Seahawks left tackle Duane Brown declared after the playoff-clinching win. “To go over 100 yards, to go over 1,000 yards in a season, it’s amazing. It’s amazing.”

(Carson’s 1,151 rushing yards finished fifth in the NFL, but don’t blame Brown for pumping up his teammate.)

That’s the last time Mahomes, Kelce and Co. stepped inside Lumen Field, before Sunday.

To borrow from Brown, we just saw the best there is in this league.

Not Kenneth Walker III.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Understandably, Walker was the story entering Sunday. Rather than returning to Seattle, the reigning Super Bowl MVP signed a three-year contract with Kansas City last offseason. In his first five games, all wins, Walker wasted little time proving his worth — leading the NFL with 665 rushing yards and 6.3 yards per carry entering Sunday. While Seattle’s running game scuffled without injured options Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet, Walker simultaneously, exasperatingly excelled.

Until Sunday.

Until Seattle’s defense dominated … and Smith-Njigba stole the show.

While Walker mustered 2.6 yards per carry and 57 total yards in the Seahawks’ 20-3 win, Smith-Njigba showed why he’s still the best offensive player on Earth. He posted nine catches (on 12 targets) for 163 total yards and a 28-yard touchdown, which he corralled over his shoulder while shielding unequipped cornerback Mansoor Delane. He later added a nearly identical 28-yard rainbow reception and a 33-yard catch-and-run through Kansas City’s secondary.

It didn’t matter that fellow wide receiver Rashid Shaheed exited with a knee injury, leaving Smith-Njigba in an even more searing spotlight. Or that Seattle’s other wide receivers combined for just four catches and 21 total yards.

It didn’t matter that Kansas City’s defense ranked second in scoring (16.6 points allowed per game) and fourth in opponent passer rating (74.1) entering Sunday, led by respected coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

It didn’t matter that Kansas City dedicated extra defenders to Smith-Njigba. It rarely does.

“For the most part, they had somebody over the top of Jax as well, if not even doubling him,” said Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, who threw for 257 yards with a touchdown and an interception. “Jax is a tough cover. He always will be. He’s a fun receiver to be able to throw the ball to.”

Calling Smith-Njigba a tough cover is akin to calling coach Mike Macdonald’s league-leading defense tough to overcome.

It’s true, technically. It’s also an understatement.

“He’s tremendous. He’s tremendous,” Macdonald repeated of Smith-Njigba, searching for appropriate praise. “I don’t know how else to describe him.”

For Brown, “amazing” might come to mind.

The point is not to disparage Walker, who might be the NFL’s best and most elusive running back. One win doesn’t prove the Seahawks were right not to place a franchise tag or negotiate an extension with the reigning Super Bowl MVP. Seahawks general manager John Schneider’s decision to draft Price and sign Emanuel Wilson to replace Walker’s production must be judged with a larger sample size.

But Smith-Njigba’s sample size spans multiple seasons. A year ago, he exploded for 119 catches, 1,793 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, en route to NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors. And through seven games, he’s improbably improved, surpassing 100 yards six times with eight touchdowns in seven games.

As of Sunday night, Smith-Njigba’s 867 receiving yards are 231 more than anyone else in the NFL.

He was the best offensive player alive a year ago. Now he’s better than he’s ever been.

It turns out, you can be one-dimensional on offense, provided that dimension is totally dominant. Provided you also have the best defense in football. Provided your quarterback avoids multiple soul-snatching mistakes.

“We felt the ball get distributed a little bit more today, which is great,” Macdonald said. “But you’d be crazy not to try to make him the primary on as many concepts as you can.”

Which is why the Seahawks’ first three offensive plays all went Smith-Njigba’s way. Meanwhile, Seattle’s defense bottled up Walker, who had crossed the century mark in four of Kansas City’s first five games. Walker didn’t have a run longer than seven yards in the Seahawks’ statement win.

When asked Sunday if he reconnected with his former teammate, Smith-Njigba said: “I didn’t get to catch him.”

Which is fine, because his defense did.

That doesn’t mean Seattle’s problems are magically solved. At 4-3, the Seahawks remain two games back of San Francisco in the NFC West, with the 5-2 Chicago Bears coming to town for Monday Night Football. Darnold threw another inexcusable interception Sunday, and though Wilson finished with 100 rushing yards and a 21-yard touchdown, Seattle’s running game must continue to chase consistency.

But if the Seahawks follow Sunday’s formula — leaning on Smith-Njigba, improved special teams, non-disastrous ball security and a dominant defense?

“We can win a lot of games,” Smith-Njigba said. “We can be the best in the league, of course.”

It takes one to know one.

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