Quinnen Williams was just about the only Jet that showed up for New York’s 31-13 loss to the 49ers on Sunday.
Williams was the lone bright spot of a Jets defense that looked underprepared, undisciplined and outright overmatched against San Francisco. So, with few other players to choose from, Williams is Jets Wire’s Player of the Game for Week 2.
Williams led the Jets defense with two sacks, the most he’s ever recorded in a game in his young NFL career. He also added seven total tackles, two of which were for a loss.
The 22-year-old said this past week that he expects a lot more out of himself after a disappointing opening game against the Bills. Williams said that he was going to be “unstoppable” before the season after he used the entire offseason to get his body in better shape.
Williams is certainly getting off the ball a lot quicker this season. He is making plays in the backfield against the run and when the quarterback drops back for a pass, as we saw on Sunday. It was his sack that hurt 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo and eventually knocked him out of the game.
Last season, Williams was hampered by an ankle injury that negatively impacted his play. He didn’t have that same explosiveness that people raved about during his time at Alabama. That’s what earned him the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, but he hardly met expectations last year.
For Williams, the hope is that Sunday’s game will serve as a confidence booster. The Jets aren’t getting much out of their defense at the moment, so to have a legit pass rusher in Williams would certainly be a big relief going forward.
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