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Coby Bryant Grateful For Player Of The Week Award, But Says Leonard Williams 'Deserves It More Than Me'

Seahawks safety Coby Bryant reflected on winning NFC Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career.

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There are a lot of ways to illustrate how well the Seahawks defense played in Sunday's win over the Cardinals.

First and foremost, the Cardinals failed to score a touchdown for the first this season, and they were also held to a season-low 49 rushing yards. The Seahawks also had five sacks, scored their third defensive touchdown of the season, and held the Cardinals to a 3 for 12 conversion rate on third down.

Another indication of how well Seattle's defense played is the fact that the player the league decided was the NFC Defensive Player of the Week, Coby Byant, might not have been the Seahawks' Defensive Player of the Week. In fact, on Monday Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Leonard Williams deserved Player of the Week honors when asked about the veteran defensive lineman's performance, which included 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss and six total tackles.

And it's not like Bryant wasn't deserving. The third-year safety, who has been great since taking over a starting role in Week 7, had a 69-yard interception return for a touchdown to break the game open in the third quarter, and also added six solo tackles. But even Bryant was somewhat torn about receiving the award considering how well Williams played.

"I feel like he deserves it more than me, honestly," Bryant said. "That's a good guy, he put in a ton of work, had a great game, and without him, a lot of plays would remain on the table, so I definitely feel he deserved it too. But I had to get it, he's been in the league way longer than me."

Williams joked that Bryant getting the award over him was "a sensitive subject" but also was happy for his teammate to get the recognition.

"That's a sensitive subject," Williams said. "I'm obviously happy for Coby, he's my locker mate. He's a young guy, I love to see young guys flourishing. He stepped up in the middle of the season, got his opportunity, and he hasn't let it go since. So I've got much appreciation and love for the guy, but at the same time, we talked about how, as a defense last Sunday, we were competing with each other. So as a friendly competition, I feel like is should have won, but as a teammate and a vet, I'm happy for him."

For Bryant, Player of the Week honors was another form of validation in what has been a great year for him. After a strong rookie campaign in 2022, Bryant battled injuries and had a reduced role in 2023, while also switching from cornerback to safety, a move he didn't embrace right away. But now he's a starter and key playmaker in Seattle's secondary, and as of Wednesday, he's also the NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

"Definitely a blessing," Bryant said. "It just shows that I'm willing to work, put my head down and control what I can control and just go out there and dominate."

And for Willams, Sunday's performance is one he'll remember even if he missed out on some hardware.

"This was definitely one of my best games of my career," he said. "I feel like I was dominant in that game. And I feel like the stats—even though I had the stats—don't even tell the full story. I feel like I played a great game."

And Bryant and Williams weren't the only defensive standouts against Arizona, with several other players contributing to the team's success, among them cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who had a big role in Bryant's pick-six by chasing down Kyler Murray and forcing the errant throw before sprinting down field to also throw a key block on the return.

"Definitely shout out for Spoon causing the play and the rest of those guys blocking for me," Bryant said. "He's a special player, man. That's someone I rave about to my family. And obviously everybody around the building raves about him, just how competitive he is, the energy that he has, what he brings to the team, and just his ability to make that play. That play doesn't start without him, so very thankful for him helping me get the interception."

Coaches, players and staff across the league will wear customized cleats in honor of causes that are important to them as part of 'My Cause My Cleats'. Check out the custom cleats that Seahawks players and staff will wear for this year's 'My Cause My Cleats' league-wide initiative.

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