EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Leonard Williams had bittersweet feelings about not winning NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors after racking up 2.5 sacks and three tackles for loss in the Seattle Seahawks‘ win over the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday.
He was happy that teammate Coby Bryant got the nod but wanted to win it himself after his most dominant performance since joining Seattle, midway through last season.
Maybe this will be Williams’ week. The 310-pound, 30-year-old defensive tackle caught a tipped Aaron Rodgers pass in stride and returned it 92 yards for a touchdown. It was the longest pick-six by an NFL defensive lineman in NFL history, per ESPN Research. The previous high was 91 yards by Grant Wistrom of the Rams on Oct. 17, 1999 at Atlanta.
LEO TAKES IT HOME. pic.twitter.com/BzcOiWAM5g
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 1, 2024
According to NFL Next Gen stats, Williams hit a top speed of 17.8 mph on the return, the fastest by a defensive lineman on any play since Week 18 of 2022.
In keeping with the theme of awful special teams play, the Seahawks’ PAT after Williams’ touchdown was blocked.
They lost a pair of fumbles on earlier kickoffs, with Dee Williams and Laviska Shenault Jr. both coughing the ball up. Seattle also allowed a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, though they did block a Jets PAT and Jason Myers hit a 54-yard field goal to cut New York’s lead to 21-16 in what has been a wild first half.
