At the beginning of October, New York Jets' defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich called Quincy Williams the best in the NFL.
"I would challenge everyone here and elsewhere that there’s not a better backer in the NFL right now. He is playing at an elite level in my opinion," said Ulbrich prior to the Week 5 road trip to Denver.
On Thursday, Williams was named the top defensive performer in the conference for the past month.
Handing out league-wide awards for October, the NFL tabbed the Jets' linebacker as the AFC Defensive Player of the Month. Miami Dolphins' receiver Tyreek Hill earned AFC Offensive Player of the Month honors while the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month accolade went to Jacksonville Jaguars' kicker Brandon McManus.
Williams accounted for a wildly productive four-game stretch, which included three straight wins for Gang Green. The do-it-all linebacker totaled 45 stops, four pass break-ups, 2.0 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery during the award-winning sample.
The 27-year-old Williams made franchise history in the 31-21 victory over the Broncos on October 8, becoming the first Jet to record at least nine tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, one tackle-for-loss and three quarterback hits in a single game. His strip sack on Russell Wilson allowed cornerback Bryce Hall to record a clinching scoop-and-score late in the fourth quarter.
"I just told him, I said, 'Bro, next year I'm gonna be at the Pro Bowl with you," said Williams the day after the Week 6 win over Philadelphia. The linebacker was recounting an offseason conversation with his younger brother, Jets' All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
The linebacker is certainly making a case for Pro Bowl honors as the season approaches the midway point. He has a team-high 71 combined tackles, 8.0 tackles-for-loss, six passes defensed and four quarterback hits through seven games.
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