The powerbrokers at 345 Park Avenue, NFL headquarters, have an easy decision for NFC Defensive Player of the Week: Leonard Williams.
The Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle dominated his former New York Jets team, providing difference-making plays the entire tilt in an eventual 26-21 road victory.
"I don't know how this works, but if we can nominate Leonard Williams for Player of the Week, he's just playing at an all-time elite level," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said, via the team's official website. "You know, to have a pick-six, I think they told me he was going about 17-and-a-half miles an hour, which was pretty fast for a man that size, so he's playing out of his mind right now."
That biggest play came when, dropping into coverage, Williams corralled a Devon Witherspoon deflection of an Aaron Rodgers pass and sprinted 92 yards for a touchdown.
"I rush the guard, as soon as I get hands on him, he thinks I'm coming, then the last second I pop out, and the ball just happened to be in arm's reach," Williams said. "I just pretty much stuck my arm out, poked it out, and I got a lucky bounce. It went straight up in the air, and it gave me time to catch it."
Williams reached a top speed of 17.84 mph on his return, the fastest by a defensive tackle as a ball carrier in over five seasons (since Week 4, 2019), per Next Gen Stats.
"I didn't expect to get that far with it though, to be honest," Williams said. "I remember running with it, I thought I was running fast, but you never know in the moment. But all my teammates were hyping me up, saying I was moving on the sideline. I looked to my left and right, and once I crossed the 50, I was actually looking to pitch it to somebody. But I saw Spoon and the whole defense, the whole cavalry, pretty much running down the field. They were almost more excited for me to get that touchdown than I was. That was awesome."
Safety Julian Love, who also played with Williams while with the Giants, wasn't as surprised by the spry big man.
"Man, he was moving. We threw some great blocks, but I don't think anyone would have caught him anyways," Love said. "That's the Big Cat, man. He's playing at such a high level right now. That was a nuts play."
The play turned the tide from a potential Jets blowout to a barnburner, and the Seahawks came out on top. Williams has his paws on every aspect.
Before the touchdown rumble, he blocked an early point-after try. Later, he gobbled up two sacks on the Jets' final drive that all but clinched the victory.
"Getting a pick-six, a block, and the two sacks in the last series, this might have been one of my best games," Williams said. "Even that (2019) season, I don't think, was as dominant as what I'm doing right now. I don't think the stats necessarily always show the full picture, and now, being older, more mature, understanding my strengths and understanding the offense more just allows me to play fast. I just feel I've got more grown-man strength now, and even when I'm not making a play, I feel like I'm more dominant on the field."
Williams' dominant play over the past few weeks has helped the Seahawks to a three-game win streak that's seen them go from the bottom of the NFC West in Week 9 to now a one-game lead in the division with five weeks to play.
