Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams is in the midst of a career year in his third NFL season.
Though he has faced hiccups along the way, Williams has come into his own as a dynamic receiving threat for the Lions' offense. He has notched 42 catches for 747 yards and five touchdowns, with all three numbers being career-best totals for him.
The Alabama product has put the work in with quarterback Jared Goff, having spent plenty of time fine-tuning their connection in the offseason. Now, that work has paid dividends for the Lions' offense.
"It's been there a lot. On certain routes, I know where to expect the ball, I know where the ball's gonna be just from working in the offseason, spring and summer, OTAs and camp, getting it down," Williams said. "It grew a lot from last year. I think that's a real good thing."
Detroit's high-powered offense will be outdoors for just the second time this season, as they travel to Soldier Field for a showdown with Chicago on Sunday.
The Lions dispelled a narrative about their ability to perform well outdoors with a win over the Packers at Lambeau Field in Week 9. Now, they've taken practice outside in an effort to better prepare for what could be ahead on Sunday.
"I feel good. We practiced outside, that was probably the worst part," Williams said. "It's good, though, getting outside. We've got to play outside this week no matter the conditions. We're just preparing ourselves as much as we can to go out there and get a W."
The offense has maintained a positive outlook on the challenges that Soldier Field and the elements could provide. Goff hasn't been fazed by the potential of harsh cold that the team could face on Sunday.
“Yeah, this weekend doesn’t look like it’ll be too bad, just a little cold. Yeah, we’ll be just fine, we’ll be good," Goff said. "We’ll have all our warm gear ready and I’m sure they will as well and it’ll be nice, outdoor, maybe a little muddy, who knows? It’ll be fun, it’ll be – Soldier Field’s the greatest and I think about it all the time, the two away games that we get to play outdoors every single year at Soldier Field and at Lambeau, those are two special places and have great pageantry and I always enjoy it.”
Back on track
The Lions will be playing coming off a loss for the first time since Week 3, as their most recent loss before last week came in Week 2 to Tampa Bay.
A revitalized sense of hunger has permeated through the locker room, as coaches and players alike have been preaching positivity in the face of adversity. Williams and company are eager to bounce back.
"Just cause it's a loss. I'm pretty sure at the beginning of the season everybody's got a goal, every team's got a goal," Williams said. "If you can make it through a season without losing a game, that would be big. But it's hard to win a game. Even though some teams do it a lot, it's hard to win NFL games no matter what team is in front of you, what coach is on the other sideline. So we're just trying to make it big for us to bounce back and get back on our winning track."
Williams does have some history against the Bears, as he was penalized for flipping the ball at cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in the first meeting between the two teams. However, he did outwardly display an emotions about the rematch against the Miami product.
"I'm just focusing on getting back on track with a win," Williams said.
'Can't put nothing past' Amon-Ra St. Brown
While Williams was able to haul in a touchdown in Sunday's game, the Lions' best receiving performance of the game came from Amon-Ra St. Brown. The USC product hauled in 14 passes for 193 yards.
What made St. Brown's feat all the more impressive was the fact that he did it while dealing with food poisoning. Williams was not surprised by his teammate's ability to overcome what was ailing him against the Bills.
"That's good, that's big. You can't never put nothing past him," Williams said. "He had a game just like that last year. Couldn't talk, had a ski mask on. Just went out there and went to work. That's what he do."
