[sendtonews_embed video_id=”K1PcScxTI8-991937-6173″]
Darious Williams wasn’t a recognizable name for most fans prior to this season. He was a lesser-known cornerback who had started just three career games since going undrafted in 2018. The Rams only acquired him after the Ravens waived him two years ago, almost to the day (Oct. 6).
But after four weeks as L.A.’s No. 2 cornerback opposite Jalen Ramsey, Williams has quickly become a household name for Rams fans. For better or worse, he’s found himself at the center of attention in each of the last three weeks with key plays for his defense.
In Week 2, he picked off Carson Wentz with a spectacular diving interception in the end zone, completely flipping the momentum in a game that was closer than the Rams would’ve liked it to be. Last week against the Bills, he was flagged for pass interference, a questionable call that cost the Rams a victory. On Sunday, Williams bounced back with one of his best performances yet, and certainly his top play of the young season.
With the Giants down eight points and all the way at the Rams’ 18-yard line, Williams dove and picked off a Daniel Jones pass near the sideline. He maintained possession all the way through and didn’t allow the ball to hit the ground at all, sealing the win for Los Angeles.
.@Dee_Willl2 called game 🙌 pic.twitter.com/3bRVCbdLeL
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) October 4, 2020
If not for that play, it’s possible the Giants would’ve marched all the way to the end zone and tied the game. But Williams didn’t allow them the chance to. His recovery speed and awareness to look back at the quarterback were something out of the book of an elite cornerback, trusting his instincts and making a perfect break on the ball.
After the game, he told reporters that he wants to be “like a red dot” on the field. He explained what he meant, saying he wants quarterbacks to second-guess themselves when throwing his way.
“At the end of the day, I try to be basically like a red dot, someone that’s dangerous on the field,” he said. “I want every quarterback, I want everybody that ever targets me to know that it’s a 50-50 chance to get the pick, so I just think really it’s just the positions I’m in and capitalizing on them.”
Aaron Donald recognized the play of Williams on the back end and knows he has the potential to be a really good player in the NFL.
He said in his postgame media session that Williams is “playing great” and “making big plays for us.
“I think Darious has been playing great. He’s a young guy, but he has a lot of potential to be a really good player in this league,” Donald said. “He’s a playmaker. He’s stepping up and making big plays for us. He has to continue to do that, continue to get better.”
Sean McVay has been impressed with the young cornerback thus far, particularly for his clutch plays. He certainly showed that on Sunday with the interception, but McVay recognizes that he’s been making plays like that for a while.
“I think he’s just a clutch player. Even he’s been doing that ever since he got an opportunity to play really last year,” McVay said. “He’s a guy that if he gets his hands on the ball, he’s usually going to catch it and be able to get it back to the offense and right there, that was a game-clenching play and a situation that we had to have. He was bumped, they ran kind of a stem in, breakout and for him to be able to make that play was unbelievable. It was a great catch and another great pick for him in a crucial situation, even more important than the Philly game a couple of weeks ago. So big-time play by Darious. Really happy for him.”
For a cornerback playing in the same secondary as Jalen Ramsey, the opportunities and targets are going to come. Quarterbacks shy away from Ramsey in coverage, which leads them to either Williams or Troy Hill more often than not.
If Williams keeps making them pay with interceptions, it’ll be hard for quarterbacks to find someone to pick on in the Rams’ secondary.
[vertical-gallery id=639107]