Pete Carroll may no longer be their head coach, but the USC Trojans are continuing to steal the spotlight with the Seattle Seahawks. On Sunday afternoon in a key NFC West battle against the Arizona Cardinals, former USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams had a career day. Williams had six tackles. three tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, and a pass defended, helping lead Seattle to a 16-6 win in a defensive slugfest.
USC fans are well used to seeing Williams as a dominant force on the defensive line. After being named the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2012, Williams earned first team All-America honors for the Trojans in both 2013 and 2014. He had at least six sacks in all three of his seasons in Cardinal and Gold.
The New York Jets selected Williams with the sixth overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft. After spending the first four and a half years of his pro career with New York, he was traded midway through the 2019 season to New York’s other team, the Giants. Williams remained with the Giants until midway through the 2023 season when he was traded once again, this time to Seattle.
In his nearly 10-year NFL career, Williams has tallied 276 tackles, 48.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, and an interception. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2016.
Seattle’s win over Arizona puts the Seahawks in first place in the NFC West, due to a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Cardinals. The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams both lost on Sunday. The Seahawks have as good a chance as anyone to win the NFC West, and Williams is at the forefront of that effort.
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