Jameson Williams' Week 1 Performance Is 'Only the Beginning'

Jameson Williams now must be consistent performer for Detroit Lions.

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) hugs wide receiver Jameson Williams (9) / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Jameson Williams might've just had his breakthrough performance that will catapult him to sustained, long-term success in the NFL. 

Regardless, the third-year pro's performance Sunday against the Rams, at the very least, was a career-best showing.

The 2022 first-round pick finished with five receptions for a career-high 121 yards and a touchdown, propelling the Lions to the Week 1 victory.

Seeing Williams succeed at such a high level was a gratifying experience for his quarterback, veteran signal-caller Jared Goff. 

“It was fun, it really was, and it was on a ton of stuff that we’ve worked on,” Goff said Wednesday of the Alabama product's Week 1 effort. “I mean, that route that – we talk about coming out the back, that little in-cut he ran that really did come out the back, we’ve been working on that a ton over the last couple years, and to get it in a game the way it’s supposed to look is a lot of fun. And, I’m happy for him, and it’s only the beginning.”

'He Just Want to Win': Amon-Ra St. Brown Unfazed by Lackluster Numbers

Goff was so satisfied with Williams’ display in the season-opening tilt that he delivered the game ball to the wideout upon the game’s conclusion. It was a memorable experience for the 23-year-old.

“It means a lot,” Williams said Thursday of receiving the game ball. “He thought I was the player of the game, and it was big to me, because that’s probably my first game ball. It’s Sunday night. It was national TV. So, things like that, it was big to me. I love the game ball. It’s still in my car, though.” 

Making Williams’ showing all the more impressive was the fact that Detroit's No. 1 wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown was significantly limited. St. Brown was held to just three catches for 13 yards, his smallest statistical output since Week 7 of the 2022 season against the Cowboys. St. Brown recorded just a lone catch for four yards in the aforementioned contest.

“I mean, that’s going to happen, and I think what made us a good offense in the past is that last week it was Jameson and this week, it could be him again, but it could be anyone,” Goff said of Williams and Detroit's depth among its group of pass-catchers. “It could be (Lions TE) Sam (LaPorta), it could be (Lions WR) Kalif (Raymond), it could be – obviously, St. Brown is a big part of it. But, it could be anyone, and that’s what’s good about our offense.”

Williams echoed the sentiment that on a weekly basis, it could be any Lions offensive weapon that steps up and has a big game. 

“There’s going to be days like that, days like that for everybody,” Williams said of St. Brown’s underwhelming Week 1 output .”He was getting double coverage. They had big eyes on him. Somebody had to step up and make plays. The ball just came my way, and I just made the plays that came my way. This week, it might be different for him. You know, they might look at somebody else, double somebody else. And, it might be his week to go off for 200, two touchdowns. It could be like that for, we’ve got a lot of playmakers. So, I don’t feel like they can do that to anybody week-by-week. Somebody (is) gonna get out there and make a play.”  

Now, the big question is whether Williams will be able to be consistently productive. Prior to his Week 1 outburst, he had never posted 70 receiving yards in a single game. Additionally, he had caught five balls in a game just one other time (Week 16 of last season against the Vikings). 

While the verdict is still out on the third-year receiver, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is convinced that Williams’ mental approach will aid him in staying focused week-to-week.

“I think the fortunate thing for him is he was a big-time football player in college as well. So, he knows how to handle success,” Johnson said Thursday of Williams. “He knows how to handle winning, and I’m sure he was fired up, I know he was in the locker room, about the type of game that he had and the impact that he had. Really since we got back to work yesterday and started focusing on Tampa, he’s shifted and now he’s thinking about the next thing.”