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Brady Henderson, ESPNDec 1, 2024, 08:24 PM ET
- Brady Henderson is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN. Henderson covers the Seattle Seahawks. He joined ESPN in 2017 covering the team for Seattle Sports 710-AM. You can follow him via Twitter @BradyHenderson.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald was only kidding when he nominated Michael Dickson as honorary player of the game, a reference to the punter being unavailable in the fourth quarter Sunday, leading to a fourth-down conversion that extended Seattle’s game-winning touchdown drive.
But Macdonald was serious when he touted Leonard Williams‘ credentials as prospective NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
After being passed over for the honor last week, the veteran defensive tackle delivered his second straight dominant performance, this one highlighted by a 92-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Seahawks’ 26-21 win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.
According to ESPN Research, it was the longest pick-six by a defensive lineman in NFL history, topping Grant Wistrom‘s 91-yard return for the St. Louis Rams in 1999. Williams added two sacks, three tackles for loss and a blocked PAT, leading Seattle to a third straight win and sole possession of first place in the NFC West at 7-5.
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“He’s just playing at an all-time elite level,” Macdonald said of Williams. “To have a pick-six — I think they told me he was going about 17½ miles an hour, which is pretty fast for a man that size. He’s playing out of his mind right now.”
And with a chip on his shoulder.
It wasn’t because Williams was facing the team that drafted him sixth overall in 2015 and traded him across town to the Giants in 2019. It was partly because he felt snubbed by not winning NFC Defensive Player of the Week last week, which instead went to Seahawks safety Coby Bryant. As happy as he was for his teammate, Williams felt he was worthy after recording 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss and a pass defensed against the Arizona Cardinals.
Seven days after Bryant’s pick-six, Williams got one of his own.
With the Jets facing third-and-7 from the Seattle 9-yard line and threatening to extend a 21-7 second-quarter lead, Macdonald dialed up a defensive call that had Williams line up at nose tackle and drop into coverage. He stepped in front of a short throw over the middle from Aaron Rodgers to Garrett Wilson, tipping the ball with his outstretched left hand and catching it in stride. The 30-year-old Williams, listed at 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds, broke one tackle then went untouched as he raced down the left sideline and into the NFL record books.
“I got a lucky bounce,” Williams said. “It went straight up in the air and gave me time to catch it. I didn’t expect to get that far with it, though, to be honest … 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 [cornerback Devon Witherspoon] and my whole defense, the whole cavalry pretty much running down the field. They were almost more excited for me to get that touchdown than myself. That was awesome.”
According to NFL NextGen Stats, Williams hit a top speed of 17.8 mph on the return, the fastest by a defensive lineman on any play since the 2022 season. He covered 109.5 yards on the play, the most by a defensive lineman since 2018.
“I literally just laid down,” Leonard Williams said of his 92-yard TD. “Coby came and jumped on me and was really excited for me. As soon as he jumped on me, I was like, ‘Man, let’s lay down.’ I was exhausted. I had to take a breather that next series.” Elsa/Getty Images
“Man, he was moving,” safety Julian Love said. “I know we threw some great blocks, but I don’t think anybody would have caught him anyways. That’s the ‘Big Cat,’ man. He’s playing at such a high level right now. That was a nuts play.”
Williams was too gassed to celebrate.
“I literally just laid down,” he said. “Coby came and jumped on me and was really excited for me. As soon as he jumped on me, I was like, ‘Man, let’s lay down.’ I was exhausted. I had to take a breather that next series.”
The Seahawks acquired Williams before last year’s trade deadline for a package that included a 2024 second-round pick. Then they re-signed him in March to a three-year, $64.5 million contract that made him the highest-paid defensive player in franchise history.
They’re getting their money’s worth.
Macdonald said recently that the statistics weren’t doing justice to how well Williams was playing. But the stats are now coming — even as he has played through a foot injury that kept him from practicing Wednesday and Thursday over each of the past two weeks.
Williams now has seven sacks in 11 games to go along with 10 tackles for loss and his pick-six. He ranks third in pass rush win rate among interior defenders (15.2%) and has been as big of a reason as anyone for Seattle’s defensive turnaround over the past four games.
Both of Williams’ sacks on Sunday came on the Jets’ final drive, which ended with a turnover on downs. He also dropped Rodgers in the first quarter but was flagged for a face mask penalty.
“Man, he was moving. I know we threw some great blocks, but I don’t think anybody would have caught him anyways. That’s the ‘Big Cat,’ man. He’s playing at such a high level right now. That was a nuts play.” Seahawks safety Julian Love
“I just have a hard time thinking anyone is playing better than him right now,” Macdonald said. “We’ll take Leonard over everybody else.”
Williams’ pick-six came after the Jets recovered a Laviska Shenault Jr. fumble on a kickoff, after having just returned Seattle’s kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. A wild first half also included another Seahawks fumble on a kickoff — leading to a Jets touchdown — and a blocked PAT by both teams.
It got even more challenging for Seattle’s special teams when Dickson left in the fourth quarter with what the team called back spasms. Down 21-19 and facing fourth-and-6 from their own 33, Macdonald considered having place-kicker Jason Myers punt, but the coach went for it instead. After a Jets penalty made it fourth-and-1, the Jets were flagged for defensive pass interference on a throw to DK Metcalf, extending a drive that ended with Zach Charbonnet‘s 8-yard, game-winning touchdown run.
“That first half was definitely a little crazy, but I thought we did a great job of weathering the storm,” said Seattle quarterback Geno Smith, who now has eight game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime since the start of last season. “Coach Macdonald talked to us about really just locking in and banding together for the rest of the season. I thought today was an example of that. When things were kind of going haywire, I thought guys pulled together, there was great leadership on the sidelines and then Leo made the play that really turned the game.”
Not until he was told during his postgame news conference was Williams aware that his 92-yard pick-six was the longest ever by an NFL defensive tackle.
“That’s pretty awesome,” he said. “History, baby.”
