Seattle's postseason push hinges on Williams' relentless pressure. Can he dominate Stafford and drive the Seahawks to Super Bowl glory?
The Seattle Seahawks are one of the final four teams left in the NFL Playoffs for the first time since they made it all the way to the Super Bowl at the end of the 2024 season.
They will face off against their division rival Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship on Sunday, and they will be looking to advance past them and win their second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.
One of the biggest reasons for them being able to make it all this way is their ability to get to the quarterback, and defensive tackle Leonard Williams has a lot to do with that.
In a recent article by Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport, he ranked who he believes are the top 10 players left in the NFL Playoffs now that it's down to just four teams. And at No. 9, he has the Seahawks interior defensive lineman.
"This is a tough call between a pair of interior linemen—Leonard Williams of the Seahawks and Zach Allen of the Broncos... Allen was the pick of the Associated Press as the first-team All-Pro at defensive tackle. But it's Williams who gets the nod here," Davenport writes. "Williams has long been one of the league's best defensive tackles. The sixth overall pick of the New York Jets back in 2015, he joined the Seahawks via an in-season trade in 2023.
The full rankings: 10. QB Sam Darnold, Seahawks; 9. DT Leonard Williams, Seahawks; 8. OT Garett Bolles, Denver Broncos; 7. Edge Byron Young, Los Angeles Rams; 6. Edge Nik Bonitto, Broncos; 5. CB Patrick Surtain II, Broncos; 4. WR Puka Nacua, Rams; 3. WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks; 2. QB Drake Maye, New England Patriots; 1. Matthew Stafford, Rams.
The Seahawks were tied for seventh in the league this past season in sacks with 47, and one of the teams they were tied with was actually the Rams.
They also held opposing quarterbacks to the fourth-lowest passer rating in the league with an average of 77.9.
And Williams' play in 2025 is a big reason that players in the backfield had to be extra careful when playing Seattle.
The veteran defensive tackle had seven sacks over the course of the season, as well as 22 quarterback hits and nine tackles for loss. But he was also able to show his ability to wrap up ball carriers with 62 total tackles, 33 of which were solo.
Seattle has their work come out for them on Sunday against Matthew Stafford and the Rams. But if Williams can make life hard for the MVP candidate, then the Seahawks will have a much better chance of making it to their first Super Bowl since the 2014 season.