Julian Love, Leonard Williams Taking All-Pro Turns For Surging Seahawks

Several players have stepped up for the Seahawks during a three-game winning streak, but a pair of former Giants have emerged as stars in Mike Macdonald's defense.
Dec 1, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) intercepts a pass for a touchdown during the first half against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Dec 1, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) intercepts a pass for a touchdown during the first half against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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It’s far from uncommon for players to face off against former teams in the NFL, but when the Seattle Seahawks traveled to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Jets on Sunday, there seemed to be an unusually large number of key starters were presented with a reunion opportunity playing at their old stomping grounds.

Fortunately for Seattle, two of those players with New York ties have taken their respective games to a whole other level as catalysts for a remarkable defensive turnaround, throwing their helmets in the ring as legitimate All-Pro candidates in coach Mike Macdonald’s scheme.

Squaring off against his former team and back playing on his former home turf, Leonard Williams starred with a performance for the ages versus the franchise that originally drafted him, returning an interception 92 yards for a touchdown and recording a pair of sacks on Aaron Rodgers. In addition, he blocked an extra point attempt in the first quarter for the Seahawks, putting up a stat line that hadn’t been replicated since at least 1982.

“He's just playing at an all-time elite level,” Macdonald gushed. “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 wasn’t the only New York ex-pat who enjoyed a strong outing for the Seahawks in a 26-21 victory over the Jets, however, as safety Julian Love made the most of his latest chance to play in East Rutherford with a pass breakup and a forced fumble, helping keep Rodgers under 200 passing yards and playing a pivotal role in seven straight possessions ending with either a turnover or a punt in the final three quarters.

Though he didn’t equal Williams with a defensive touchdown or any sacks, Love turned in several impact plays of his own as the Seahawks held the Jets to just 14 offensive points, including none in the final three quarters. Most notably, he delivered a crushing hit over the middle to record a pass breakup on the second down prior to his teammate picking off Rodgers and returning the pass to the house for six points.

Bringing up 3rd and 7 from Seattle’s eight-yard line, Love’s pass deflection proved to be a crucial moment midway through the second quarter with Macdonald’s defense up against the wall following a fumbled kick return by Laviska Shenault, setting the stage for Williams’ historic return on a rare third and long situation.

“That’s what we came for,” Love said following the game. “I think great defenses, they relish in those moments. They are excited to go back on the field to try and get a stop, make a play, and that was our mindset. We have so many good leaders and dogs on that defense, everyone I think had that approach of, ‘I’m going to be the difference maker.’ Every single person was taking it upon themselves to be a difference maker and just stay steady.”

Previously playing together with the Giants, Williams and Love have been an integral part in Seattle’s defensive rebuild in year one under Macdonald, representing two of general manager John Schneider's best additions in recent years. After only making the playoffs once in their four seasons in New York, the versatile veterans have provided invaluable leadership at the front and back of the defense and as they did once again on Sunday, they have continued to come through with game-changing plays week in and week out.

Now in his 10th NFL season and first full season with the Seahawks after being acquired at the trade deadline last October, Williams has been on an absolute tear as of late, becoming the first player since the 1970 NFL/AFL merger to produce at least four sacks, six tackles for loss, a pick six, and a blocked field goal in a two-game span. Taking it out on the team that selected him sixth overall in 2015, he could have had three sacks if not for an unfortunate face mask penalty in the first quarter, proving to be an unblockable force of nature in the trenches.

Regularly overlooked as a standout for mediocre or bad football teams, Williams has only made one Pro Bowl team and has never been a first or second-team All-Pro selection. But after another monster stat-stuffing performance that should culminate with Defensive Player of the Week honors, the ex-USC star has never been better positioned to finally break through and earn long overdue accolades as one of the game’s best interior defensive linemen.

Through 13 weeks, according to Pro Football Focus charting, Williams ranked in the top 10 among defensive tackles in sacks (seven), quarterback pressures (40), and pass rush win rate (12.7 percent). He’s also been stout against the run while seeing snaps moving up and down the line, currently graded out as PFF’s fifth-best run defender (74.8) and being a key cog in the team’s recent improvements slowing down opposing ball carriers with an average depth of tackle of 1.6 yards.

As for Love, the sixth-year do-it-all safety has quietly played at an All-Pro level in his own right, serving as the lynchpin for a talented young secondary that has had to deal with a few injuries over the course of the season. Whether playing single or two-high safety, blitzing from the slot, or moonlighting as a linebacker in the box, he has been incredibly productive regardless of what the Seahawks have asked him to do.

Trailing by five points late in the third quarter on Sunday, moments after the Jets turned the Seahawks away with a goal line stop sacking Geno Smith on fourth down, Love came to the rescue to put the ball back in the offense’s hands. Running back Breece Hall looked to have a first down on a quality carry between the tackles, but as he approached the yard to gain, the defender punched the ball out of his hands, allowing linebacker Tyrice Knight to recover the fumble near midfield.

That forced fumble gave Love two on the season, putting him near the top of the leaderboard among safeties through 13 weeks, while he also sits fourth in solo tackles (35) and 10th in missed tackle rate (7.8 percent) defending the run. In addition, per PFF, he has been one of the premier coverage safeties in the NFL this year by most metrics, ranking sixth in yards per reception (8.6), eighth in pass breakups (four), and 10th in forced incompletions (four).

Over the past couple of seasons, the Seahawks have obviously been competitive, producing 9-8 seasons and reaching the playoffs once. However, they struggled against the NFC's elite, including losing five straight games to the 49ers, in large part due to the lack of upper echelon star talent. The team hasn't had a First-Team All-Pro on the roster since 2020.

Riding a wave of momentum with five games left to play, as evidenced again in New York, that narrative has changed this season, however. Paired with rising young stars such as Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Devon Witherspoon, Williams and Love stack up against the best of the best at their respective positions as All-Pro caliber centerpieces on defense, and their presence has leveled the playing field, giving Seattle a prime chance to win the NFC West for the first time in five seasons.

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Corbin K. Smith
CORBIN K. SMITH

Graduating from Manchester College in 2012, Smith began his professional career as a high school Economics teacher in Indianapolis and launched his own NFL website covering the Seahawks as a hobby. After teaching and coaching high school football for five years, he transitioned to a full-time sports reporter in 2017, writing for USA Today's Seahawks Wire while continuing to produce the Legion of 12 podcast. He joined the Arena Group in August 2018 and also currently hosts the daily Locked On Seahawks podcast with Rob Rang and Nick Lee. Away from his coverage of the Seahawks and the NFL, Smith dabbles in standup comedy, is a heavy metal enthusiast and previously performed as lead vocalist for a metal band, and enjoys distance running and weight lifting. A habitual commuter, he resides with his wife Natalia in Colorado and spends extensive time reporting from his second residence in the Pacific Northwest.