Seattle Seahawks DL Leonard Williams Soaks Up 'Electric' Atmosphere, Impresses in Home Debut

Still learning a new system and developing a rapport with teammates, Leonard Williams already has made a splash with the Seattle Seahawks, tallying his first sack and helping teammates get to Sam Howell in a 29-26 win over the Washington Commanders.

SEATTLE, Wash. - Only making the playoffs once in his first eight NFL seasons, Leonard Williams unfortunately has been accustomed to being on the wrong end of lopsided blowouts like the one the Seattle Seahawks suffered in Baltimore last weekend.

But unlike his two previous stops in New York, such defeats are not the norm in Seattle under the direction of coach Pete Carroll, and Williams quickly could see the difference in expectations. Early in the week, he had numerous teammates apologizing to him for the embarrassing performance in his team debut, vowing to bounce back and not have that happen again.

Thankfully for Williams, the Seahawks did just that in his first home game with the team, rebounding from one of the ugliest showings in the Carroll era to pick up a much-needed 29-26 win over the Commanders on Sunday.

"You could just tell, they took that loss pretty bad," Williams said after the game. "This is big that we turned it around and going back on pace for what we gotta do."

Playing in his first game at Lumen Field as a member of the Seahawks and sporting a navy blue No. 99 jersey, Williams finally got to experience the full power of the 12s, soaking up a loud, boisterous atmosphere.

While Williams had played in the stadium before with the New York Giants, he never had to worry about not being able to hear play calls with the crowd normally quiet when Seattle is on offense, so there was a bit of an adjustment dealing with the noise. But seeing how the pandemonium made life tough on Washington's offense, it was certainly a welcomed adjustment.

“It was pretty electric, not going to lie," Williams smiled. "On that two-minute drive with the defense I had to have Bobby [Wagner] scream in my ear what the play was because I literally couldn’t hear anything. I love the energy, I love the atmosphere here, I love the team, it was a great first home game.”

Making the type of impact the Seahawks expected from him when they traded a second and fifth-round pick to the Giants to acquire him last month, Williams made the most of his home debut against a familiar foe. Having played the Commanders twice a season in the NFC East for several years, he continued to dominate his former rivals, including registering his first sack with his new team.

Lined up in 4i technique shading left tackle Charles Leno's inside shoulder on a third down play, Williams bullied his way inside past left guard Chris Paul. With Wagner blitzing the A-gap and drawing the attention of center Tyler Larson, the Commanders didn't have any additional support to pick up the defensive tackle and he gobbled up Sam Howell in the pocket for the drive-ending sack.

Latching onto Sam Howell with an iron grasp, Leonard Williams tallied his first sack as a Seahawk to help his new team improve to 6-3 with a 29-26 win over the Commanders on Sunday / © Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

As cheers rained down from the 12s, Williams celebrated with edge rusher Darrell Taylor and other teammates after the whistle blew, cherishing every second of a milestone moment with his new team. It's a feeling he hopes to have many more times as he helps the Seahawks push for an NFC West title.

“That felt awesome. Coming into this, I felt like I wanted to show the team what I’ve got," Williams remarked. "It felt great to get a sack in my first home game, in front of the crowd, in front of my teammates and coaches, hopefully the first of many.”

While Williams' sack obviously shows up in the box score along with two tackles, he made another significant play that won't be on the stat sheet to help a teammate make history, showcasing how a 3-tech defensive end can create havoc without registering a tackle or sack.

With the Commanders threatening deep in Seahawks territory, defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt dialed up a third down tackle-end exchange stunt. Williams shot outside from 3-tech alignment off the snap, ultimately absorbing blocks from both guard Sam Cosmi and tackle Andrew Wylie as he powered his way upfield.

As Williams drew the attention of both blockers and kept them busy trying to power his way into the pocket, edge rusher Boye Mafe looped back inside behind his teammate after initially stepping upfield after the snap, rocketing inside untouched to devour Howell and notching a sack for a team-record seventh consecutive game.

Afterward, Mafe commended Williams for his selflessness taking on both blocks on the well-executed stunt and allowing him to come free inside with a straight path to Howell for his record-breaking sack.

"He's one of those guys, he's just ready to go out there and play and he has fun doing it," Mafe said. "It's easy to go out there and play with somebody like that and it helps tremendously having that energy in the room, a person that is willing to do that. It's a different type of job being the 3-technique and understanding what's going on, so just being out there and being willing to do those things is very helpful."

Still acclimating to his new surroundings, Williams should only get better as he gains experience playing in Hurtt's defense. Most importantly, he acknowledged the importance of building chemistry with teammates such as Dre'Mont Jones, Jarran Reed, and Mario Edwards in the interior as well as Mafe and Seattle's edge rushers, which can take more time than learning a new scheme.

Already making a significant impact and proving himself worthy of the investment made to acquire him, the Seahawks hope Williams emerges as the missing piece needed to push the 49ers for the NFC West crown. With eight games left to play, he's off to a strong start despite still trying to find his footing in a new place and looking forward to seeing what he and the team can accomplish in coming weeks as he continues to become more comfortable.

"I'm definitely still adjusting, still adapting. As far as the playbook, I think I had a little less questions on game day than I did last week. ... I think another week or two, I'll finally feel at home."