When the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New York Jets in Week 13, a big reason why was the play of defensive lineman Leonard Williams. He finished with two sacks and could have had three except for a penalty on him for a facemask when he was pulling New York quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the ground. But Williams did not stop with just the sacks.
The defensive lineman also blocked an extra point, and, most importantly, changed the course of the game by intercepting Rodgers and returning the pick 92 yards for a touchdown. Williams became the first player in NFL history to have a pick-six, multiple sacks, and a blocked kick in the same game. Because of this, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio is now hanging the jersey Williams wore.
There were some who thought the Seahawks making Williams their top priority in free agency this past offseason was a mistake. After all, he was past 30 years old, and there was a seeming likelihood of diminished returns over the course of any new contract. Instead, a Seattle defense without the lineman would be the diminished part.
Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams was so special in Week 13 his game jersey is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Over the past two games combined, Williams has 4.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, and an interception return. In fact, the pick-six might not have only changed the outcome of Week 13, but potentially the Seahawks' season. Had Seattle lost to New York, the team would have fallen back to 6-6 with a tough road game and first-place battle with the Arizona Cardinals in Week 14.
Seattle is currently in sole possession of first place, and a victory over the Cardinals would give the Seahawks the head-to-head advantage over Arizona as well as being potentially two games clear of any other team in the NFC West (the Los Angeles Rams have to play the 10-2 Buffalo Bills on Sunday). Seattle would be 8-5 with four games remaining.
Williams is having an All-Pro-type season. He is fifth in the NFL with 20 quarterback hits, and he ranks third in pass-rush win rate among defensive linemen. Oddly, the player known as the Big Cat has only made one Pro Bowl in his career and that was in 2016, his second season in the league. If he doesn't make the Pro Bowl this year, that would seem nearly criminal.