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Detroit Lions coaches show 'ultimate trust' in Jameson Williams in target after 5th INT
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- Detroit Lions coaches show 'ultimate trust' in Jameson Williams in target after 5th INT
Jameson Williams ' continued growth showed up in the fourth quarter of the Detroit Lions ' fourth-quarter comeback over the Houston Texans .
In Sunday night's third quarter, after the Lions had cut Houston's lead to 23-13, Detroit's defense got the ball back on an end-zone interception from Carlton Davis III. Two plays later, the Lions dialed up a play-action shot. Quarterback Jared Goff locked onto Williams downfield and heaved it deep, but the pass went too long and ended up in the hands of Texans' safety Calen Bullock .
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On Thursday, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Williams said the interception was Williams breaking off the route in the wrong direction and the miscommunication was the main reason for Detroit's fifth and final interception.
"I think it was the last interception we threw up, he came to me, he said, 'Hey, was my angle right?' and I was like, 'No it wasn't right," offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said. "It's not what we had talked about."
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams makes a reception as Houston Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter attempts to make a tackle during the second quarter at NRG Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 in Houston, Texas.
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Williams broke off the deep route in the wrong direction, tailing toward the sideline while Goff's ball floated down the field on a straight deep shot.
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"On one of the interceptions, I came out of my route (and) I had wrong angle," Williams said. "I came out to the flat when I was supposed to go to the spot, have a higher angle. I just went out and responded."
After the interception, Williams learned he wouldn't be phased out in the offense despite the flub. Instead, Johnson gave him a vote of confidence and told him to be ready for the ball to come back his way.
"(I told him) 'But the ball is going to come to you in the fourth quarter here and we need you to make a play' and he responded to that call just like that," Johnson said. "I think that happens in practice, it happens in the meeting rooms and it certainly happened on game day last week."
The next target produced one of the most impressive catches of Williams' young career. With the Lions still trailing by 10 points early in the fourth quarter , Goff went back to Williams to convert a second-and-6 from midfield on a 17-yard completion over the middle, setting up an eventual touchdown for Amon-Ra St. Brown . Williams absorbed two hits from the front and back, while having his leg bend awkwardly beneath him, but still held on for the first down.
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"When your number is called, you got to make a play no matter the circumstances, if you are getting hit in the front and the back," Williams said. "You just got to make a play. And it was big for us. We were making our comeback, trying to win the game, so every play has got to be made. ... I just felt like I had to make a play and I brought it in."
The choice to go back to Williams on one of the biggest plays of the comeback was a vote of confidence for Detroit's No. 2 receiver, who missed the last two games because of a suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancing substance policy. He said he's been building that trust with Goff and the offensive coaches since the offseason and was pleased to see it come to fruition in a big moment.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams hurdles Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. in the first quarter at NRG Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 in Houston, Texas.
"That's big confidence," Williams said. "The ultimate trust in my coaches to have the trust in me to make a play and my quarterback too. So that's big for me. I feel like I earned a lot of stuff, working my way up. It all started back in the offseason, we've been working on these things."
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Williams finished with three catches for 53 yards on five targets in his first game back. Williams said his return felt different this time from his previous returns (from an injury in his rookie year and a gambling suspension last season).
Instead of having to try to earn that trust back, he was ready to be slotted back into a prominent position on offense.
"(The coaches) trusted me to just get back in the mix and put me on the field," Williams said. "I felt like I was ready, they felt like I was ready. That was a big thing to me. Last time I was coming off a suspension, I was getting worked in and this time, I'm just right back in the action."
Getting Williams back into the full fold is just one way the Lions want to get back to their explosive ways on offense. Despite sitting second in the NFL in scoring at 31.6 points per game, the Lions offense has played below Johnson's standards the last three weeks — despite winning all three times — and he wants to see more down-to-down consistency from his group over a full four quarters, rather than having to rally or hold off a rally.
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"We're still fighting to play 60 minutes of consistent football like we're capable of and we've shown flashes that we can be a dominant unit when we're all executing at a high level and we believe in what we're doing, but we just need to put it together again," Johnson said of midweek improvements. "That's all."
And one person who can help that is Williams, who is in the midst of a career year despite missing two games, ranking second on the team in receiving yards (414) and fourth in catches (20).
"Yeah (we can be unstoppable) if we stay on the right track," Williams said. "We just got to keep going."
Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press . Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22 , and email him at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions' Jameson Williams has earned coaches 'ultimate trust'
