The Detroit Lions started the season with a win. More importantly, they may have a burgeoning star in wideout Jameson Williams.
The speedster finished with five receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown in Detroit's 26-20 overtime win against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night.
Speed on display 💨
Goff finds Jameson Williams for 37 yards!
📺: #LARvsDET on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/8iGTrEHLaY— NFL (@NFL) September 9, 2024
JARED GOFF TO JAMESON WILLIAMS FOR THE 52-YARD TD 🔥😱
(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/dlM2xQmnB0— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 9, 2024
Jameson Williams have a night!
28 more yards.
📺: #LARvsDET on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/wtn046mI6R— NFL (@NFL) September 9, 2024
Coming into the season, it was unclear just how big of a role Williams might have in this offense, especially considering players like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery were going to get their touches.
But it's fairly clear now that Williams is going to eat, and the Jared Goff-to-Williams connection earned rave reviews on social media:
Jameson Williams played 85% of the snaps and posted a 5-121-1 receiving line on nine targets.
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) September 9, 2024
Breakout game.
What a night for Jameson Williams truthers. We never stopped believing @greggrosenthal!
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) September 9, 2024
Jameson Williams breakout complete. I don't need 16 more games. It's here. Happened. We celebrate
— Jake Ciely (@allinkid) September 9, 2024
Jared Goff pass to Jameson Williams for 52-yard TD. Who is faster than Jamo?
— Paula Pasche (@paulapasche) September 9, 2024
Jameson Williams breakout complete. I don't need 16 more games. It's here. Happened. We celebrate
— Jake Ciely (@allinkid) September 9, 2024
And then there was David Montgomery.
The bruising back had another strong game, rushing 17 times for 91 yards and a touchdown. He was a monster in overtime, carrying the ball five times for 45 yards and the game-winning score.
David Montgomery runs it in for the @Lions win! pic.twitter.com/iKUEHAvgMK
— NFL (@NFL) September 9, 2024
He pounded a tired Rams defense, ending overtime after the first drive and impressing social media along the way
Wow, Detroit just ran the ball down their throat. Holy shit that was an impressive drive in overtime!! I’ll be up for another 2 hours because of that, adrenaline is through the roof!
— Jason Kelce (@JasonKelce) September 9, 2024
there's no better fit than David Montgomery and the Detroit Lions
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) September 9, 2024
David Montgomery is special, man.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) September 9, 2024
At the risk of oversimplifying the game of football … why didn’t the Lions just pound the ball with David Montgomery the entire 4th quarter?
— Jeff Nowak (@Jeff_Nowak) September 9, 2024
That was nothing new, of course. Montgomery has thrived in Detroit. But Williams was a revelation.
The 23-year-old was a first-round pick by the Lions in the 2022 NFL draft but was recovering from a torn ACL suffered in college and didn't make his debut until Week 13 that season.
He was then suspended for the first four games of the 2023 season for violating the NFL's gambling policy. He showed flashes of his upside, catching 24 passes for 354 yards and two scores last season in 12 games, but he wasn't a major part of the offense.
That appears to have changed this season, however, and it makes sense on a number of fronts. For one, Williams has dynamic speed, giving him the ability to stretch defenses vertically and make plays after the catch.
But the Lions also let Josh Reynolds walk in free agency, creating a void at the No. 2 receiver jam. And it would appear that Williams has seized that role.St. Brown and Sam LaPorta will still likely be the top pass-catchers for Detroit, but Williams is going to be a playmaker this season. An already dangerous Lions offense looks all the more threatening now.
