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Why San Francisco 49ers tackle Trent Williams and his blocks went viral

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- It's Sept. 13, 2020, and San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams hasn't played a meaningful snap of football in 623 days.

Getting through the opener against the visiting Arizona Cardinals without incident would be cause for celebration for Williams, who was diagnosed with a rare cancerous growth on his head in January 2019.

For as quiet as Williams can be, his game has always spoken much louder, and he showed that 18 snaps into his emotional return. Williams threw a block on Arizona linebacker Jordan Hicks so jarring that social media and the internet immediately exploded in a way normally reserved for a Kardashian or, at least, a Mahomes.