Leonard Williams woke up Sunday morning feeling good about what was to come for him and the Seahawks that afternoon.
It turns out Williams' intuition was spot on.
On a day in which Seattle's defense dominated to lead the Seahawks to a 16-6 win over the Cardinals, Williams might have been the best player on a field for a Seattle defense that produced several standout performances.
"I thought he was dominant," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. "I knew he played great, and then I looked at the stat line, and he played out of his mind.
"There's not many like him walking the planet, and I'm glad he's on our team. He's a heck of a guy. He's leading the charge in the defensive front room as well with (Jarran) Reed. J. Reed played really well. John Hankins, all the veterans are helping build the camaraderie in that room. They're playing together and rushing together, and coaches are doing a great job leading as well."
The Seahawks gave up pretty significant draft capital last season to acquire Williams, sending a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-rounder to the Giants in exchange for the former Pro-Bowler, because interior linemen who can be game wreckers are among the more difficult players to find in the NFL. And Williams, who signed a contract extension this offseason, has been very good ever since arriving in Seattle last season, but on Sunday he took his game to another level, bullying Cardinals interior linemen throughout the game on his way to 2.5 sacks, two tackles for loss, six tackles, four quarterback hits and a pass defensed that was initially ruled a sack/forced fumble before the call was overturned.
"I think that definitely was my most dominant game since being a part of the Seahawks," Williams said. "It was interesting because I woke up this morning with a great feeling, and pretty much everyone I approached before the game, I told them, 'I've got a good feeling about this game.' It wasn't directed toward my personal success, it was directed toward the team's success. I just had a great feeling about it. I just had great energy out there today and it showed."
With Williams leading the way, the Seahawks kept the Cardinals out of the end zone, allowing just a pair of field goals to a Cardinals offense that had scored at least 28 points in each of their last three games, and allowed just 49 rushing yards while recording five sacks and holding the Cardinals to a 3-for-12 conversion rate on third down.
It was Seattle's run defense, which held Cardinals leading rusher James Conner to just eight yards on seven carries, that drew a little fist pump out of Williams when he was asked about the defensive performance, and his favorite play in the game was not a sack, but rather a tackle for a 4-yard loss on a running play, a stop he credited with the work he did on film study during a week in which he was limited in practice due a foot injury.
"My favorite play today was the TFL that I had, just because I didn't get too much practice this week, because I was dealing with some stuff," Williams said. "Because I didn't practice too much, I was able to watch more film. That specific play, I can tell when those two guys were pulling and it just like slowed down for me. That's one of those moments when you're just in the zone, you're letting people feed off of you, I was feeding off the crowd. The 12s were just really loud out there today, so it was great energy all around."
So good was Williams' performance that even his playmaking teammates had a hard time putting the dominant performance into words.
"I really don't think I can talk about it," said cornerback Devon Witherspoon. "He just do what he do, his energy out there, the stuff he brings to the table. He's Big Cat. He's Leo. I don't think there's a word to describe it, I just know we appreciate him."
Must-see shots of the Seahawks at their Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) and Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight (48) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks players at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe (53) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe (53) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe (53) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe (53) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe (53) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight (48) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight (48) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) and Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight (48) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) and Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight (48) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (14) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (14) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks punter Michael Dickson (4) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks punter Michael Dickson (4) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks punter Michael Dickson (4) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (14) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight (48) and Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks players at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks players at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (14) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (14) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (14) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks cornerback Dee Williams (33) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight (48) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight (48) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks free safety Julian Love (20) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks free safety Julian Love (20) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) and Seahawks center Olu Oluwatimi (51) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (91) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris (98) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett (16) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks free safety Coby Bryant (8) and Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks free safety Coby Bryant (8) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks free safety Coby Bryant (8) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks free safety Coby Bryant (8) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks free safety Coby Bryant (8) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks free safety Coby Bryant (8) and Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks linebacker Dre'Mont Jones (55) and Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett (16) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) at the Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
