Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said it best after his team’s 16-6 loss to the Seahawks Sunday when he was asked about defensive lineman Leonard Williams.
“He’s a premium player for a reason,” Gannon said. “I think we’ve got to look at that, how can we adjust and handle him a little bit better because I thought he wrecked the game.”
That he did. And the reality is if no one can find an answer for the 6-5, 302-pound dynamo, it will be more of the same when Williams and the Seahawks come to Arizona in 13 days.
Williams filled the stat sheet Sunday like very few interior linemen can: 2.5 sacks for 18 yards in losses, six tackles (three solo) with three for loss along with four quarterback hits and one pass defensed.
When asked what his favorite play was, Williams said one of the tackles for loss, presumably a 4-yarder by running back James Conner in the third quarter.
Williams explained, “Just because I didn’t get too much practice this week, because I was dealing with some stuff. 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.”
That play came on first down shortly after the 69-yard interception return by safety Coby Bryant that gave Seattle a 13-3 lead. On the first play, quarterback Kyler Murray hit wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. for 14 yards. The next three plays went nowhere: the loss by Conner, an incomplete pass thanks to pressure from defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones and then an 11-yard sack by Williams on third-and-14.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said, “I thought he was dominant. I knew he played great and then I looked at the stat line and he played out of his mind. 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. 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.”
Acquired in a trade from the Giants during the 2023 season, Williams was asked if this was his most dominant game for the team.
He said, “I think that definitely was my most dominant game since being a part of the Seahawks. 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.”
Cornerback Devon Witherspoon said about Williams impact, “I really don’t think I can talk about it. I just think 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.”
Witherspoon, of course, made the play that resulted in Bryant’s touchdown. Overlooked is what preceded it. After a Zaven Collins sack ended the first possession of the second half, Murray connected with tight end Trey McBride for 13, 11 and 18 yards, the final two plays coming after facing first-and-19 because of a holding penalty on tight end Tip Reiman.
Running back Trey Benson ran seven yards to the Seattle 42 and the Cardinals appeared to be rolling. However, Benson was stopped for no gain and then running back James Conner managed only two yards on third-and-3.
Going for it on fourth-and-1, Witherspoon sniffed out a run to the right by Murray, who overthrew wide receiver Michael Wilson and Bryant was off to the races.
Make the first down on second-and-3 or third-and-2 and that play doesn’t happen.
Said Murray, “The play that we successfully have run here in the past, 21 (Witherspoon) did a good job of redirecting. Obviously, he’s a good player with good feel. So he made it tough to get the corner. Once I found out I wasn’t going to get the corner, obviously that’s on me, it’s on me. Can’t give them (six).
Said Witherspoon, “It’s a play we’ve seen on film. We know when they get in the gun, he’s got the ability to pull the ball. He pulled it and he had us out-leveraged and I just tried to make a play, help the end.”
Concluded Macdonald, “That’s Devon Witherspoon 101. Just effort, energy, competitiveness, football understanding, all of the above. So he definitely made that play come to life.”
Murray was sacked five times and hit another seven on a day where he had 44 dropbacks. Cardinals running backs had 12 attempts, including a 14-yard run by Emari Demercado on third-and-18 late in the first half. Benson had four carries for 18 yards and Conner 7-for-8.
Gannon said, “I think we’ve got to protect the quarterback better. Seemed like the pocket was collapsing a little too much. That goes on all 11. That’s not just the O-line. It’s the quarterback, the backs, the receivers, timing, rhythm. We all have to look in the mirror and figure out better ways and make sure that he is not under duress.”
Jonah Williams, returning to right tackle for the first time since injuring his knee on the final play of the first quarter in the season opener, said of the pass-pro woes, “I think part of it was that we couldn’t get the run game going, and that falls on all of us. That makes it hard when you’re in obvious passing downs pretty often. I feel like we were behind the sticks a lot.”
Were they ever. Six of their 12 third-down plays were for at least nine yards with one for nine, one for 12, one for 13, two for 14 and one for 18. The 12-yarder came after Wilson scored on a 2-yard pass, but it was negated by a holding penalty on Paris Johnson Jr. Harrison made the catch, but was unable to get both feet down in bounds.
After converting two of their first four third downs, the Cardinals were successful only once in their final eight and that was on the 30-yard pass play to Wilson in the fourth quarter that reached the 10-yard line. Murray couldn’t have made a better throw or Wilson a better catch.
However, the Cardinals’ streak of scoring touchdowns on 16-of-16 goal-to-go situations this season was snapped when Murray was shaken up on a second-and-10 run to the 4-yard line and overthrew an open McBride in the end zone.
The loss overshadowed a monster game by McBride, who had 12 receptions for 133 yards, but that success only highlighted the overall inconsistency on offense.
“I feel like we would get a chunk here or there and then (there were) self-inflicted (mistakes), whether it’s penalties, negative runs,” Murray said. We just couldn’t keep going at critical times. We didn’t stay on the field and didn’t make it happen. It’s a frustrating day offensively, especially the way we’ve been playing to come out here and lay an egg and get physically dominated in a sense.”
Well, it wasn’t “in a sense.” It was real. Williams led the physical domination by the Seahawks, a team that had lost five of six after starting the season 3-0, but is now 6-5 after holding the 49ers and Cardinals to a total of 23 points in the last two games.
Williams explained, “There were a few leaders that met up before the 49ers game and talked about how we’re pretty much in playoff mode. It was right after the bye week. We had two divisional opponents coming up, back-to-back, and we knew where we were in the division rankings and stuff like that.
“Ever since we had that conversation, we’ve been treating it like (the) playoffs. Since then, I just feel like our team has been coming closer together. We’re playing with great energy. Just great energy.”
Now, the Cardinals have to show they are capable of rebounding with a visit to the 9-2 Vikings next week and a rematch with the Seahawks to follow.
As Gannon noted, “I just told the team in there: We’re going to learn a lot from this game. We’ve got to get back to work tomorrow and have to learn and improve from this game. So that’s what we’ll have energy and focus to do.”
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