An NFL referee perfectly deescalated a tense situation, and helped protect one of the NFL's rising stars in the process, during the Seahawks' 27-19 win over the Texans on Monday night. With 8:33 remaining in the fourth quarter, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was intercepted by Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., who was pursued by Seattle wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. As Smith-Njigba attempted to tackle Stingley, the Texans corner stiff-armed the Seahawks receiver, who then proceeded to push Stingley out of bounds towards the Houston bench.

Then, Smith-Njigba, helmet-less, found himself surrounded by angry Texans on the opposing team's sideline. He was shoved backwards onto the Texans bench, where he sat, as multiple Houston players approached him with bad intentions.

That's when field judge Nathan Jones sprang into action. Jones sprinted over to the scene and went full bodyguard mode, spreading his arms out and using his body as a barrier as he stood in front of Smith-Njigba, protecting the Seahawks wideout until the situation was fully resolved.

Jones, a former NFL player-turned-referee, showed impressive instincts in acting quickly. And Smith-Njigba, who was penalized for dunking on the goalpost after a touchdown reception in the first quarter, showed poise in not escalating the situation any further himself.

"He knew that another one [penalty] was going to knock him out," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said after the game. "I originally thought that, but we gotta look at that. It seemed like that was a—I don't know—It didn't look good over there. So, I'm glad that he's okay and he made a smart decision in that moment.

"That was a really, really poised, smart decision."

And as for Smith-Njigba? His blood pressure didn't seem to be too raised in the heated moment.

"Nah, I told him I felt comfortable over there," Smith-Njigba said of heading over to the Texans bench. "It's Monday night. Not really worried about anything when it comes to my face and all that."

And the Seahawks star, who recorded 100-plus receiving yards and a touchdown reception for the third straight contest, was appreciative of Jones acting as a human shield during the moment.

"Oh yeah, we had a nice little conversation," Smith-Njigba said of Jones. "I took a deep breath. Trying to enjoy the moment as much as I could and run back to my sideline."

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Referee Saved Jaxon Smith-Njigba From Angry Mob of Texans.