After a stellar month of play, New York Jets LB Quincy Williams was named AFC Defensive Player of the Month
Quincy Williams is being honored for his play this season.
After a stellar month of play, it was announced Thursday morning that the Jets’ star linebacker won the AFC’s Defensive Player of the Month award.
October was ruled by @quincywilliams_ 👑
📰 https://t.co/zvgngRplQb pic.twitter.com/qTsNDEHmsu
— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 2, 2023
In four games played during October, Williams racked up 45 tackles, six tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and two sacks. He has been a heat-seeking missile in both areas of the game, not letting any players create yards in space or after the catch.
The success has extended beyond just October for Williams. On the season, the linebacker has 71 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, and six passes defended. In all of football, those numbers rank 12th, 12th, and 20th, respectively. Additionally, according to PFF, Williams leads all of the NFL with 40 “stops” on defense. These are constituted as tackles that resulted in a failure for the opposing offense.
Williams’s success is impressive and important for the Jets. Signed as a free agent from Jacksonville in 2021, the linebacker was developed from a toolsy developmental player to one of the best linebackers in all of football. His emergence has helped turn what was once a weakness for the Jets into a strength.
With Williams and C.J. Mosley, the Jets have one of the better linebacker duos in football. Williams’s emergence has reduced the success of teams trying to attack the Jets in the middle of the field, allowing the Jets’ talented cornerbacks to have more opportunities to make plays. His improved tackling has also helped the Jets fix their proneness to giving up large amounts of yards after short catches.
The Jets’ defense would be in a very different spot this season without Quincy Williams. Along with his brother Quinnen, Quincy has become one of the most important players on the Jets’ defense. If he continues his high-level performance, the AFC Player of the Month will not be the last award or honor Quincy receives this season.
