EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald was only joking when he named Michael Dickson an honorary player of the game, a reference to the fact that the punter was unavailable in the fourth quarter on Sunday, which led to a fourth down conversion, which extended Seattle’s playing time. winning touchdown drive.

But Macdonald was serious when he touted Leonard Williams’ credentials as the future NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

After being passed over for the award last week, the veteran defensive tackle turned in a dominant performance for the second straight season, culminating in a 92-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Seahawks’ 26-21 win over the New York Jets was highlighted at MetLife Stadium.

According to ESPN Research, it was the longest pick-six by a defensive lineman in NFL history, surpassing Grant Wistrom’s 91-yard return for the St. Louis Rams in 1999. Williams added two sacks, three tackles for loss and one blocked PAT added. led Seattle to a third straight win and sole possession of first place in the NFC West at 7-5.

“He’s just playing at an absolutely top level,” Macdonald said of Williams. “To have a Pick-Six – I think they told me it goes about 17½ miles an hour, which is pretty fast for a guy that size. He’s going crazy right now.”

And with a chip on his shoulder.

It wasn’t because Williams was playing against the team that selected him sixth overall in 2015 and traded him across town to the Giants in 2019. It was in part because he felt snubbed for not being named NFC Defensive Player of the Week last week, instead leaving out Seahawks safety Coby Bryant. As happy as he was for his teammate, Williams felt worthy after recording 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss and one pass defensed against the Arizona Cardinals.

Seven days after Bryant’s pick-six, Williams got a pick of his own.

As the Jets faced third-and-7 from the Seattle 9-yard line and threatened to extend their lead to 21-7 in the second quarter, Macdonald made a defensive call that got Williams to nose Set up tackle and take cover. On a short throw over the middle from Aaron Rodgers to Garrett Wilson, he stepped forward, tipped the ball with his outstretched left hand and quickly caught it. The 30-year-old Williams, listed at 6-foot-1 and weighing 300 pounds, broke a tackle and was uninjured as he raced down the left sideline and etched himself into the NFL record books.

“I was lucky,” Williams said. “It flew straight into the air, giving me time to catch it. To be honest, though, I didn’t expect to get this far with it… I looked left and right, and as I crossed the 50, I was actually going to pass it to someone, but I saw (cornerback Devon Witherspoon) and my entire defense do that “They were almost more excited about that touchdown than they were about me.”

According to NFL NextGen Stats, Williams reached a top speed of 17.8 mph on returns, the fastest by a defensive lineman in any game since the 2022 season. He rushed for 109.5 yards on the play, the most by a defensive lineman since 2018.

“Man, he moved,” safety Julian Love said. “I know we threw some great blocks, but I don’t think anyone would have caught it anyway. That’s the Big Cat, man. He’s playing at such a high level right now. That was an amazing game.”

Williams was too drunk to celebrate.

“I literally just laid down,” he said. “Coby came and jumped on me and was really excited with 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 in the next series.

The Seahawks acquired Williams before last year’s trade deadline in 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.

You get your money’s worth.

Macdonald recently said that the statistics don’t do justice to Williams’ performance. But the stats are coming in now – even though he suffered a foot injury in the last two weeks that kept him from training on Wednesday and Thursday.

Williams now has seven sacks in 11 games, as well as 10 tackles for loss and his pick-six. He ranks third among interior defenders in pass-rush win rate (15.2%) and has been as big a reason as any for Seattle’s defensive turnaround over the last 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 warned for a facemask penalty.

“Man, he moved. I know we threw some great blocks, but I don’t think anyone would have caught it anyway. That’s the Big Cat, man. He’s playing at such a high level right now. That was a…”Crazy people play.”

Seahawks safety Julian Love

“It’s just hard for me to think of anyone playing better than him right now,” Macdonald said. “We will choose Leonard over anyone else.”

Williams’ pick-six came after the Jets recovered a Laviska Shenault Jr. fumble on a kickoff, 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.

Things got even more difficult for Seattle’s special teams when Dickson left in the fourth quarter with what the team called back spasms. Macdonald trailed 19-21 and faced fourth and sixth place from their own 33 games. Macdonald considered a punt from placekicker Jason Myers, but the coach opted for it instead. After a Jets penalty made it fourth-and-1, the Jets were cited for defensive pass interference on a throw to DK Metcalf, extending a drive that ended with Zach Charbonnet’s game-winning 8-yard touchdown run.

“The first half was definitely a little crazy, but I think we weathered the storm well,” said Seattle quarterback Geno Smith, who has eight game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime since the start of last season. “Coach Macdonald talked to us about just banding together and sticking together for the rest of the season. I thought today was an example of that and then Leo made the play that really turned the game around.”

It wasn’t until he was told during his postgame press conference that Williams realized his 92-yard pick-six was the longest ever by an NFL defensive tackle.

“That’s pretty awesome,” he said. “Story, baby.”