Seahawks DL Leonard Williams playing at ‘all-time elite level’

Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams needed a moment to lie down and take a breather.

It was well-deserved. After all, he’d just made a bit of NFL history.

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Williams followed up last week’s dominant performance with another sensational showing on Sunday, highlighted by a game-swinging 92-yard pick-six midway through the second quarter of Seattle’s 26-21 comeback win over the New York Jets. According to ESPN Research via ESPN’s Brady Henderson, it was the longest interception return for a touchdown by a defensive lineman in NFL history.

So after rumbling the length of the field, the 6-foot-5, 300-pound Williams laid down on the MetLife Stadium turf that he called home for his 8 1/2 seasons in New York with both the Jets and Giants.

“I literally just laid down,” Williams said. “(Seahawks safety Coby Bryant) jumped on me and was really excited for me. And as soon as he jumped on me, I was like, ‘Man, let’s lay down.’ I was exhausted. I had to take a breather.”

LEONARD WILLIAMS 91-YARD PICK-6 🔥

📺: #SEAvsNYJ on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/8CECV6s1AL

— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2024

Williams has been a game-wrecking force over the past two weeks, totaling an absurd stat line of 4.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, one interception, two pass breakups and a blocked extra point.

Last week, Williams recorded 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, four QB hits and a pass deflection in Seattle’s smothering 16-6 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

And on Sunday, Williams delivered two more sacks, three tackles for loss, two QB hits, a pick-six, a pass breakup and a blocked extra point while helping the Seahawks win their third straight game and grab sole possession of first place atop the NFC West at 7-5. According to NFL Communications, he became the first player since 1982 with multiple sacks, a pick-six and a blocked kick in the same game.

“He’s just playing at an all-time elite level,” Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald said. “He’s playing out of his mind. … I have a hard time thinking that anybody’s playing better than him right now.”

Williams’ pick-six came at a pivotal juncture of the game. The Seahawks were trailing 21-7 due to a slew of costly mistakes, including a fumbled kick return by Laviska Shenault Jr. that gave New York the ball on the Seattle 38-yard line. The Jets then drove to the Seattle 9, where they faced a third-and-7.

As four-time All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers took the shotgun snap, Williams faked a pass rush and then dropped back in coverage. Rodgers tried to fire a short pass over the middle to standout wide receiver Garrett Wilson, but Williams tipped the ball into the air and snagged it for an interception.

“I rushed the guard (and) as soon as I get hands on him, he thinks I’m coming,” Williams said. “And then last second, I pop out and the ball just happened to be in arm’s reach. I pretty much stuck my arm out, poked it out and I got a lucky bounce. It went straight up in the air and gave me time to catch it.”

Williams then immediately shed an attempted tackle by wide receiver Xavier Gipson, raced down the left sideline amid a convoy of blockers and cruised the final 15 yards into the end zone to cut New York’s lead to 21-13.

“I didn’t expect to get that far with it though, to be honest,” Williams said with a laugh. “… Once I crossed the 50, I was actually looking to pitch it to somebody. But I saw my whole defense, the whole cavalry, pretty much running down the field. And they were almost more excited for me to get that touchdown than myself. That was awesome.”

According to Next Gen Stats, Williams reached a top speed of 17.84 mph – which is the fastest a defensive tackle has run as a ball carrier since Week 4 of 2019.

“He was moving,” Seattle safety Julian Love said. “I know we threw some great blocks, but I don’t think anybody would have caught him anyway. That’s the ‘Big Cat,’ man. He’s playing at such a high level right now, and that was a nuts play.”

Against his former team, Seahawks DT Leonard Williams returns an interception 92 yards for a touchdown, reaching a top speed of 17.84 mph, the fastest play by a defensive tackle as a ball carrier in over five seasons (since Week 4, 2019).#SEAvsNYJ | #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/NrxFuiNHGF

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 1, 2024

Williams’ pick-six was just part of another spectacular performance from the 10-year veteran known by his teammates as “Big Cat.”

Earlier in the first half, Williams blocked an extra point. In the third quarter, he stopped running back Braelon Allen in the backfield for a 2-yard loss. And on the Jets’ final drive of the game, Williams came up with two sacks.

The latter of those two sacks came with New York facing a third-and-10 from the Seattle 29-yard line with less than 1:30 remaining. Williams overpowered left guard John Simpson and took down Rodgers for a 5-yard loss, setting up a last-ditch fourth-and-long incompletion that sealed the Seahawks’ victory.

Leonard Williams does it AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/cLdtB9dMBb

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 1, 2024

Williams now has seven sacks and 10 tackles for loss in 11 games this season. It’s already the most sacks he’s had in a season since he recorded a career-high 11.5 sacks with the Giants in 2020.

“I think right now he’s playing at a Defensive Player of the Year level – for sure, Player of the Month,” Love said. “These past two weeks, he’s (been) balling. And it’s just his approach. He takes care of his body off the field, he locks in and is a great leader during the week. Despite all that’s going on, he’s so steady.

“And then above all that, he’s incredibly talented. And when he takes advantage of a matchup, he senses it – from play one, there’s blood in the water for the whole game.”

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