Jameson Williams Sees Stafford Jerseys, Says Buy Mine

Lions receiver Jameson Williams has Super Bowl aspirations.

Second-year pro Jameson Williams knows exactly what’s at stake for the Lions going into Sunday’s playoff opener. If Detroit is able to beat the L.A. Rams, the Ford family-run franchise will be able to lay claim to its first postseason win since the 1991 season.

It’s bound to be the biggest game that Williams has played in as an NFL wide receiver. Yet, the stage won’t be too large for the speed demon. As a collegiate athlete, he played in plenty of big games – including multiple College Football Playoff games – with first the Ohio State Buckeyes and then the Alabama Crimson Tide.

“I think it’s just about players making plays. (When) it comes down to it, it doesn’t matter who you go to, that player just got to make the play,” Williams said of handling the limelight that comes with playing in big games. “Like you said, coming up and playing in a lot of big games, they don’t phase me, they’re all the same. I played in front of a hundred thousand. It don’t really, there’s millions watching on TV. So, it don’t really matter. You know, you just got to go out there and make a play. Don’t let the sunlight get too big.”

Williams saw an increased number of looks over the last few weeks of the regular season, and made the most of it. From Weeks 15-17, he accumulated 11 receptions for 159 yards, and hauled in 68.8 percent of his targets from quarterback Jared Goff.

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It’s the biggest sign of growth and consistency that Williams has showcased since entering the league a season ago, and his head coach Dan Campbell has certainly taken notice.

“Well, he’s earned that. He’s making plays, and he is, he’s much more consistent,” Campbell said of Williams Wednesday. “All he’s gotta do is exactly what he’s been doing every week. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. He’s getting better.”

With Sunday being the first home playoff contest in 30 years for Detroit, Williams is expecting it to be a raucous atmosphere at Ford Field. He knows the game carries a significant degree of meaning for the playoff-starved fanbase.

“It means a lot. Detroit, the city, is fighting for a lot,” Williams commented. “It’s going to be the first playoff game at Ford Field. I think it opened in 2002. Trying to get the first playoff win, first playoff game (at Ford Field), just trying to turn the city up to a whole ‘nother level.

“We don’t just want one playoff win, though. We’re trying to get more games and more wins. You know, we’re trying to make it to the Super Bowl.”

Because of the jersey number Williams dons (No. 9), he’s also had to worry about something else entering Detroit’s wild card playoff game with Los Angeles: Fans wearing the No. 9 uniform, but with the “Stafford” name on the back of it.

Rams signal-caller Matthew Stafford, who played the first 12 seasons of his career in Motown, famously wore the No. 9 jersey during his tenure in Detroit.

There are plenty of fans that still adore the former Lions quarterback, and have made plans to wear the jersey Sunday (despite the recent push on social media to get fans to leave their Stafford unis at home).

Meanwhile, there are plenty of Lions supporters that have developed a fandom for Williams. And because of such, they’ve crossed out the Stafford name on the back of their No. 9 jerseys and have replaced it with the receiver’s.

Williams has heard chatter about it this week, but hasn’t paid much attention to it.

“People can do what they want to do,” the second-year receiver expressed. “I’ve been seeing a lot of jerseys with Stafford. A lot of people still wear Stafford jerseys and don’t got mine. I encourage a lot of people to go get my jersey, so that’s all I’m going to encourage people to do.”