No Leonard Williams; no problem. Of course, with Williams, the Seattle Seahawks are that much better, but Week 9's performance against the Arizona Cardinals showed that Seattle's defense can hold its own when its star leader is sidelined.
Sunday was just Williams's second missed game as a Seahawk in four years. His durability and availability are the standard, so seeing him out of uniform for a game is rare and strange. Thankfully, the Seahawks' defense is overflowing with players more than capable of disrupting opposing offenses.
In that light, three defensive players came up clutch for the Seahawks in Williams's absence, and two of them have had quiet seasons so far. They made their first real noise in Week 9.
The Seattle Seahawks needed others to step up, and they got it
On the one hand, you could argue it all came against Gardner Minshew and the Cardinals offense, which ranks 22nd overall in the NFL. On the other hand, it was the same Minshew who came in late in Week 8 for a benched Jacoby Brissett against the Dallas Cowboys, threw for 188 yards and three touchdowns, and led an upset overtime win.
The Seahawks faced the bad side of Minshew this time, though, and the Cardinals managed just one field goal. The Cardinals' offense was stuffed all day, and Seattle can thank these three defenders for their contributions.
DeMarcus Lawrence (LB)
DeMarcus Lawrence has not been as disruptive this season as he was last, but he came alive against the Cardinals on Sunday. In fact, this was probably his best game of the season. His pressure on the Cardinals' offensive line led to two tackles for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble. Lawrence recorded three total tackles.
It wasn't quite the performance he had against Arizona last year, when he scored two defensive touchdowns, but with Williams and others out, Lawrence's contributions were major.
Dante Fowler Jr. (LB)
The Seahawks were likely hoping to get from Dante Fowler Jr. what they got from Lawrence last season—taking a low-risk chance on a veteran and reaping success. It hasn't worked out that way, and Fowler has been quiet all season until now.
With Uchenna Nwosu out, Fowler stepped up on the Seahawks' edge, recording a first-half strip-sack right before the break and shutting the door on the Cardinals' march downfield. Believe it or not, it was Fowler's first impact play for the Seahawks this season, but it came at a clutch moment.
Derick Hall (LB)
He didn't tally any forced fumbles, knocked-down passes, or sacks, but Derick Hall was all over the Cardinals' quarterback on Sunday. Hall had his best game of the season, posting three major tackles for loss that heavily disrupted Arizona's backfield.
Hall recorded four total tackles against the Cardinals and was a physical force against the run, helping the Seahawks limit the Cardinals' offense and leading a relentless defensive front that kept Arizona from scoring more than three points. Hall's constant pressure off the edge was key in Seattle's win.
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