Watch: Seahawks’ Leonard Williams rumbles for 92-yard pick-6
Dec 1, 2024, 11:46 AM | Updated: 10:39 pm
(Elsa/Getty Images)
For the second week in a row, the Seattle Seahawks’ defense scored on a pick-six.
This time, it came from one of the unlikeliest of sources.
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With the New York Jets on the verge of taking a three-possession lead, 6-foot-5, 300-pound defensive lineman Leonard Williams intercepted a pass over the middle and rumbled 92 yards for an interception return touchdown against one of his former teams in the second quarter of Sunday’s Week 13 matchup at MetLife Stadium.
LEONARD WILLIAMS 91-YARD PICK-6 🔥
📺: #SEAvsNYJ on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/8CECV6s1AL— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2024
According to Next Gen Stats, Williams reached a top speed of 17.84 mph – which was the fastest play by a defensive tackle as a ball carrier since Week 4 of 2019. And per CBS Sports Research, the play was the longest interception return for a touchdown in league history by a player of 300 pounds or more.
It was the second interception of Williams’ 10-year NFL career and his first since 2017, back when he played for the Jets. And it was a crucial play in helping the Seahawks crawl back from a 14-point deficit and beat the Jets 26-21.
Williams was coming off a dominant performance last week, when he totaled 2.5 sacks, three quarterback hits, four tackles for loss and a pass deflection in Seattle’s 16-6 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Coby Bryant added a 69-yard pick-six that served as the signature moment of that victory.
Williams’ pick-six on Sunday 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 veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers took the shotgun snap, Williams dropped back in coverage over the middle and tipped Rodgers’ pass up in the air to himself with his left hand. Williams then snagged the ball, shed an attempted tackle by wide receiver Xavier Gipson and raced down the left sideline for an improbable score to cut New York’s lead to 21-13 with 7:39 left in the second quarter.
It was part of an event-filled first half for Williams. On the Jets’ second offensive series, Williams committed a facemask penalty that negated his third-down sack and extended the drive, which resulted in a touchdown. Williams then blocked the ensuing extra-point attempt.
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