EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey—Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald jokes that when it comes to defensive linemen dropping into coverage—not always a favorite assignment of big men who'd prefer to rush the passer—he just asks for a couple per game.

"We just tell everybody hey, you owe us two drops a game," Macdonald said. "You can rush the rest of the time."

On Sunday, Macdonald asked big defensive lineman Leonard Williams to drop into coverage in the second quarter with the Seahawks desperately needing a stop, and Williams rewarded his coach's play-call with the biggest play of the game, and one of the best plays of his 10-year career.

Williams, who spent eight-plus seasons with the Jets and Giants, was a huge factor in Seattle's 26-21 win in the stadium that used to be his home, and his biggest moment came when, while dropping into coverage, he was able to reach out a hand, bat a pass, then come down with the tipped ball. An interception in that situation, with the Jets looking to build a three-score lead after another special teams turnover by Seattle, would have been big on its own, but what Williams did next is was turned the play into the stuff of legends.

Williams, all 6-foot-5, 300-pound of him, secured the catch and took off running, and to the surprise of pretty much everyone in the building, Williams included, he just kept running with no tacklers able to catch him. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Williams reached 17.84 miles per hour on the return, which covered 92 yards, the fastest speed by a defensive tackle as a ballcarrier since Week 4 of the 2019 season.

"I rush the guard, as soon as I get hands on him, he thinks I'm coming, then the last second I pop out, and the ball just happened to be in arm's reach," Willams said. "I just pretty much stuck my arm out, poked it out, and I got a lucky bounce, it went straight up in the air, gave me time to catch it."

The interception, the second of Williams' career, was impressive in its own right, but the return even caught him off guard.

"I didn't expect to get that far with it though, to be honest," Williams said. "I remember running with it, I thought I was running fast, but you never know in the moment. But all my teammates were hyping me up, saying I was moving on the sideline. I looked to my left and right, and once I crossed the 50, I was actually looking to pitch it to somebody. But I saw spoon and the whole defense, the whole calvary, pretty much running down the field. They were almost more excited for me to get that touchdown that I was. That was awesome."

Williams' subdued celebration that ensued was one borne out of necessity more than anything else.

"I literally just laid down," he said. "Coby (Bryant) came and jumped on me, and was really excited for me, and as soon as he jumped on me, I was like, 'let's lay down.' I was exhausted. I had to take a breather the next series."

Williams' teammates all came away impressed with his speed on the return, with Riq Woolen, one of the NFL's fastest players, even noting that Williams' form would have even impressed his high school track coach.

"He was going fast as hell," Woolen said. "… My track coach in high school, when we used to run the 400, he said last stretch, you've got to pick your knees up. It was on the last stretch of the 400, and Leo was going crazy. It was like a 90-yard touchdown. Ninety-two? He was sliding."

Dre'Mont Jones's reaction as he chased Williams to block on the play?

"Oh sh*t," he said. "Ain't no way he got the ball. Holy crap, oh my god, I can't believe this is happening. It was a dope experience to see that. We cheer for each other, all the time, so when you see a teammate make a big play like that in a needed moment, we've got to celebrate him."

Safety Julian Love, who was teammates with Williams with the Giants, added, "Man, he was moving. We threw some great blocks, but I don't think anyone would have caught him anyways. That's the Big Cat, man. He's playing at such a high level right now. That was a nuts play."

Sunday's performance also included a blocked extra point, as well as a pair of sacks late in the game to help the Seahawks get the final stop they needed to secure the win, making Williams the first player since sacks became an official stat in 1982 to have multiple sacks, an interception return for a touchdown and a blocked kick all in the same game.

It was all enough to, in all likelihood, earn Williams NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors a week after he arguably should have won it over teammate Coby Bryant, who earned the award thanks in part to his 69-yard pick-six against the Cardinals.

"I don't know how this works, but if we can nominate Leonard Williams for player of the week, he's just playing at an all-time elite level," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. "You know, to have a pick six, I think they told me he was going about 17-and-a-half miles an hour, which was pretty fast for a man that size, so he's playing out of his mind right now."

Williams, while happy for Bryant getting that recognition, also felt like he was deserving of player of the Week honors, but at the rate he is going, with 4.5 sacks, giving him 7.0 this season, six tackles for loss and a pick-six in the past two games, bigger honors could be coming his way instead.

"Right now I think he's playing at a Defensive Player of the Year level, for sure Player of the Month," Love said. "These past two weeks, he's balling. It's just his approach. He takes care of his body off the field. He locks in, and is a great leader during the week. Despite all that's going on, he's so steady, and above all that, he's incredibly talented. And when he takes advantage of a matchup, he senses it from play one, and there's blood in the water for the whole game. And we needed it today. He was a difference maker."

For Williams, his current run is among the best stretches of his career, rivaling, in his view, his play in 2019 when he had 11.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss, both career highs.

"Getting a pick-six, a block, and the two sacks in the last series, this might have been one of my best games," Williams said. "Even that (2019) season I don't think was as dominant as what I'm doing right now. I don't think the stats necessarily always show the full picture, and now, being older, more mature, understanding my strengths and understanding the offense more just allows me to play fast. I just feel I've got more grown-man strength now, and even when I'm not making a play, I feel like I'm more dominant on the field."

And Williams' dominance is a big reason the Seahawks have won their past two games and are now in first place, a game ahead of the Cardinals and Rams.

"Shoot, he's just in his mode, man," Woolen said. "That's one of the guys who is one of the leaders on our team. For him to keep killing it and be on this streak right now, it's amazing. He's been balling all season."