That last offensive play from the Detroit Lions was almost one that would have sent some clamoring for Cary Williams’ defection from the Seattle Seahawks “Legion of Boom.”
But then the fumble, touchback and Seahawks 13-10 victory. Richard Sherman said it’s the best game Williams has played this season.
“And that’s more for a lack of opportunities than anything else, but today he played great,” Sherman said. “He was tested and he stood up.”
The Seahawks defense hasn’t allowed a touchdown in back-to-back games. It held Lions quarterback Matt Stafford to 24 of 35 passing for 203 yards, limiting him to mostly check downs and screens. And wide receiver Calvin Johnson was targeted 11 times and finished with 56 yards.
Seattle’s defense is complete with Kam Chancellor’s return. It’s starting to dominate with Williams in the fold.
“There’s a lot of pressure when you come from another team and it’s LOB and all this and people single me and Kam and Sherm out and they kind of exclude him,” Seahawks safety Earl Thomas said. “But as I told him before, he’s going to make a name for himself because he’s a great, great player. People will start to understand that as we keep playing.
“He’s just as good as all of us. The coaching staff has an eye for talent. I’m glad he’s on our team.”
The Seahawks have now gone four consecutive games without an interception – the longest the defense has gone since Pete Carroll was hired in 2010.
But teams aren’t testing them deep, often, either. Sherman matched up on Johnson 14 times Monday, was targeted three times with Sherman on him, catching it twice.
The rest of the time was spent attacking Williams, including on one first-half play in which Stafford overthrew Johnson on a deep route. The other the Lions tried to hit Johnson down the field? Sherman was covered him stride for stride and the ball sailed out of bounds.
“It’s just about trusting our guys,” Williams said. “It was just a good opportunity for us to go out there and finish and we did.
“We are starting to gel. We already established this before I got here, but it’s just an opportunity to do what we believe and that’s playing every down until the clock is at double zero and believing in our guys and that they are going to do their job.”
Like that last offensive snap for the Lions, when Thomas and Chancellor came to his help and knocked the ball loose.
“It’s kind of cliché around here, but give us an inch of grass and we’ll defend it,” Sherman said. “There was an inch left and we defended it.”
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