Lions receiver Jameson Williams didn’t play as a rookie until Week 12, due to a torn ACL from his final college game. He missed the first four games of his second season, due to a violation of the league’s gambling policy.
He got his first 100-yard receiving game in Week 1 against the Rams, and he had the best game of his career in a Week 16 win over the Bears, with five catches for 143 yards and a touchdown. (He added a rushing touchdown in the 34-17 win.)
With two games left in the 2024 regular season, Williams needs 110 receiving yards for his first 1,000-yard season.
“I’m aware of it,” Williams said Friday, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I ain’t trying to force it, though. We still got two games ahead of us, that’s the main priority, getting a team win. If it comes, it’s coming. It’s on my mind, of course, but it’s nothing to stress about.”
Defenses will be stressing, now that Williams and quarterback Jared Goff are finally clicking. After nearly three seasons together, it seems to be happening.
“We struggled there that first year, when he got healthy, to truly get on the same page,” offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said, per Birkett. “As coaches we saw it, we saw the potential, and with Jared, he’s a timing, he’s a rhythm quarterback, he needs reps, just like the great ones do. I mean, he’s no different, and so it was just a matter of time and we knew it was going to click, and when it does click, man, what’s better than a two-play drive?
“That’s the potential that Jameson has to this offense and it’s a beautiful thing to see a post versus single-high like that. I know this, it does our offense wonders going into the end of the season here and into the postseason to put that type of stuff on tape.”
It’s even better than putting a bunch of trick plays on tape. Having a threat like Williams forces a defense to devote extra resources to containing him, which can then open up the rest of the offense. And if the defense doesn’t give the man who’s covering Williams extra help, it might be night-night.
For now, Williams is leading the league with 18.94 yards per catch. Like Steelers receiver George Pickens, Williams becomes eligible for a second contract after the regular season ends. Like Pickens, Williams has torn an ACL. Like Pickens, Williams might want his second contract before accepting further risk of injury during playoff games.
