Inside the Play: Jamaal Williams Breaks Down Longest Career Rush
Through the first four weeks of the 2022 season, Detroit Lions running back Jamaal Williams leads the NFL with six rushing touchdowns.
Prior to the season, the veteran running back explained to reporters that he was confident in his abilities to succeed at all aspects of his position.
“People think they understand what type of football player I am, and they don’t have no clue what I can do," Williams said. "I literally can take anybody’s ankles. I ain’t scared of nobody."
On Sunday, against the Seattle Seahawks, Williams helped with trimming the Seahawks' 16-point lead, when he took advantage of solid blocking to gash the defense for a 51-yard, career-long rush.
Here is how Williams broke down the play with All Lions, following practice Thursday.
“I think it was just a perfect play, and everybody locked in tremendously, which made it even easier for me to see the hole, straight through it," Williams said. "Once I saw the hole, kudos to everybody on that play, because they made it so much easier for me.
"Then, I seen the safety was really late, because usually safeties, I feel like, are waiting for us to cut back. So, that’s the angle he had on me. But, for me, I already had my mind set that I was just gonna run right through there, keep pushing. So, when I seen the safety, I seen that he was a little late. I seen that he took a large step out, not balanced. So, it made it easier for me to give him a stiff arm, he hit the ground, and then finishing. I honestly believe it was just great blocking and then, for me, it was just finishing the play with the safety one-on-one.”
Williams has proven that the run game can still produce at a high level, even without the services of D'Andre Swift, who will miss his second consecutive contest this week against the Patriots.
“I think I surprised a lot of people. Surprised them -- let them know I ain’t gonna get caught, even if that was a d-end and a safety on the edge," said Williams. "I was gonna finish that. I’m like halfway there, my eyes are open, the only thing on my mind was, 'Do not get caught and finishing.' Just working on my speeds, working on letting people know that I’ve got the speed to try to take it all the way.”