LANDOVER, Md. — Jameson Williams has made it clear that he’s fine, even when the targets and catches weren’t coming in bunches.
And the Detroit Lions wide receiver kept that same tone after having his best showing of the season. Williams had six catches for 119 yards and one touchdown in Detroit’s 44-22 win over the Washington Commanders. Shoot, he had five catches in the third quarter alone, which is more than he’s had in seven of his eight games this year.
“I’m the same player every day. It don’t matter if I’m getting the ball or not getting the ball,” Williams said. “I’m the same player when I wake up. I go into meetings, practice or when I wake up Sunday for the game. I try not to let that affect me. I just go out there and make plays whenever my number is called.
“That’s just huge, and the biggest thing for me. I just want to make plays when my number is called, no matter how many times it’s called, because I can’t control that part. I just try to take advantage of every time my number is called.”
Williams was making plays all over the field on Sunday. He was a problem with those lethal short routes where he hits the brakes, loses his defender, and then jams the accelerator to blow past them down the field.
Coming out of the bye week, the Lions made it clear they needed to make it an effort to get the ball in his hands more. Williams had four catches for 66 yards and one touchdown in that first game back, then took his production to new heights on Sunday.
One of the more impressive plays of the day is one that might get overlooked after the 44-point offensive explosion. But it came on an early third-and-6 in the first quarter, when Williams made the short catch, turned and put the burners all the way on to beat Commanders cornerback Trey Amos.
“I think it was effective. Going over the gameplan, how they tried to play us, a lot of man and match coverage,” Williams said. “So, us getting open and running away from the defensive backs was definitely part of the game. So, you’ve got to perfect that. Especially when you get man (coverage), and they try to play back here, just snatch off and the ball will be there.”
The Lions made a change, with Dan Campbell replacing offensive coordinator John Morton as the one calling plays against the Commanders.
Williams credited Campbell for how he managed the game and set up the Lions to control it from start to finish. But he said there wasn’t an indication that he would get the ball more with the shift, saying it all comes down to what happens in the game.
“He’s been doing a great job and he’s been busting his rear like he does every day,” Campbell said of Williams. “He comes to work. He grinds on it, man. He’s been unbelievable, and we just hadn’t — we just hadn’t connected. And so, today, man, we got him going. Goff got him going and made some throws, and he made some big-time plays, man.
“It was just good to see him, man. His confidence was up, and he’s really roaring. He’s very much a part of our guys.”
Goff said Williams was incredible against the Commanders and that it got to a point where he just kept going back to the electric receiver. The Lions quarterback saw Williams locked in during the week of practice and throughout the year, no matter how much the ball was coming his way.
” … to see him have a game where he pops like that is fun,” Goff said. “That’s really dangerous. He’s one of the fastest guys in the league, and getting him in space, he’s a cheat code out there on the sideline. We want to do that as much as possible.”
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