LAS VEGAS — Quinnen Williams understands the assignment. When the Dallas Cowboys struck a blockbuster deal with the New York Jets to acquire the All-Pro defensive tackle, it was to help elevate their struggling defensive unit in a way that only a player of his caliber can, and his debut was a master class in proving the Joneses right.
Williams helped lead a defensive throttling of Geno Smith and the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 11, while Dak Prescott and the offense helped the Cowboys to finish scraping the plate, in a 33-16 contest that ultimately never felt that close — Williams finishing his debut racking up five quarterback hits, four combined tackles and 1.5 sacks that cost Smith nearly 12 yards.
"I want to keep stacking these, man," said the three-time Pro Bowler. "I want to keep stacking these performances, and I want to keep getting better week in and week out. And it's just the main goal, man, to keep getting better, keep stacking up the good things, fix the bad things, and win football games."
But for as lights-out as Williams played, so did several others on that side of the ball, on all three levels of defense, but the plays made on the back end were often a direct result of what Williams, Osa Odighizuwa and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark were able to do with their consistent pressure that destroyed Smith's pocket time and again.
Mix in some great play from the defensive ends group like James Houston, who had a sack, and Donovan Ezeiruaku, the rookie pass rusher landing his first career safety, and Williams isn't keen on taking all of the credit. Instead, rooted in his usual humility, he says the reason he was able to dominate was because of those playing to his left and right.
"I'm playing with some great individuals," said Williams. "You got Kenny Clark, you've got Osa, you've got [Ezeiruaku] … the guys around me were playing unbelievable. It helped me. All I just kind of needed to do was my job. Having a great group of guys around me makes it easy for me."
In a game that began emotionally with the memorialization of Marshawn Kneeland, Williams and Co. honored the late Cowboys' defensive end the right way, with effort, relentlessness and a fire to make the Raiders regret ever taking the field at Allegiant Stadium for Monday Night Football.
"Definitely, definitely emotional," Williams said. "[Marshawn was] a guy who played with relentless effort, a guy who was smart and a guy who made plays on the field. So seeing that [tribute] gave me the motivation to play like him — to play with effort and to make plays also."
And remember that humility thing mentioned a moment ago, well, Williams is draped in it.
When asked if he believes one player can change an entire defense, turning the unit 180 degrees from being the statistical worst in the league into one that's competitive, if not potentially dominant, going forward, his answer was as definitive as it gets.
"I don't think one guy could change anything," he said, firmly. "I think the team itself, the guys around you, all eleven on the field, the coaching staff, in general, makes the difference. One man don't [change] nothing. This is not golf. It's not tennis.
"Everybody on his team has to do the job. Everybody in this organization has to do a job to the best of their ability to win games."
Needless to say, Williams is already doing his job for the Cowboys, and there's no denying his debut was something they should hang in The Louvre, because wow.
Just, wow.
