Ravens Brandon Williams is dominating in his return to nose tackle

The defending champion Kansas City Chiefs had their way with the Baltimore Ravens’ vaunted defense on Monday Night Football in Week Three. Their pass defense got carved up through the air by reigning Superbowl MVP Patrick Mahomes for four touchdowns and nearly 400 yards passing but it was tough sledding on the ground thanks to the sensational performance of veteran defensive lineman Brandon Williams.

The eight-year pro was the team’s lone bright spot on defense as he made in virtually impossible to run up the middle and recorded the second-most tackles on the team with seven, including one for loss, all of which were made solo.

“I’m a nose guard,” Williams said. “That’s where they have me. That’s where they trust me to be. I love being back where I am. I feel at home, nice and cozy where I am. I feel good.”

Through the Ravens’ first three games of the season, he has looked great in his triumphant return to his natural position at nose guard. Thanks to the departure of Michael Pierce to the Minnesota Vikings in free agency and the additions of fellow veteran defensive linemen Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe, Williams has moved back to the position where he built a name for himself and stared in during the early portion of his career.

The Chiefs racked up 132 net yards on the ground, but the vast majority of their rushing yards were gained off tackle on the edges and around the perimeter of the defense. Williams was the main catalyst for limiting rookie running back and leading candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year, Clyde Edwards-Hilaire to just 64 yards rushing on a whopping 20 carries for a meager 3.2 yards per carry average.

The first-round rookie had been terrorizing opposing defenses between the tackles during the first two weeks of the season but could didn’t find much daylight running into the teeth of the Ravens’ defense line where Williams was routinely stopping him in his tracks.

He was named to his lone career Pro Bowl in 2018 when he was playing out position and while he’s open to lining up wherever the team needs him to be, he’s grateful for the new pieces that the team added this offseason that allowed him to make the switch back to where he has statically been the most disruptive.

“Those guys are great, Calais and Wolfe,” Williams said. “Those additions to the defensive line, they’ve been amazing. They come and add another aspect to the defensive line room. You get another voice in Calais Campbell, his stature, his mentality, all the years of football he’s seen just bringing it to the room. He sees things sometime that I don’t see.”

The fact that Williams has been as dominant and disruptive as he has been thus far this season is especially impressive considering the amount of holding that offensive linemen league-wide have been getting away with through the first three weeks of the year.

According to ESPN.com stats, there has been a stunning 56 percent drop in holding penalties called through the first three weeks of the 2020 regular season and Williams’ uniform is proof that he is just one of the many defenders and especially down linemen on the defensive side that have been victims of it.

“Our equipment staff keeps having to stitch my jersey up,” Williams said. “That’s all I’m going to say on that.”

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