After more than two seasons of ups and downs, Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams finally had his breakout game in the team’s win over the Los Angeles Rams on September 9.
Now, he’s ready for a lot more.
The third-year wide receiver had five receptions for a career-high 121 receiving yards with a touchdown in the team’s 26-20 overtime win over the Rams on Sunday Night Football. The former first-round pick came into the season with some high expectations after the departure of No. 2 receiver Josh Reynolds and delivered in Week 1.
Jameson Williams Expects ‘A Lot More’ After Breakout Game
Williams said his big performance in the season opener wasn’t a surprise to him but rather the culmination of the hard work he had put in during the offseason. The speedy receiver predicted there would be a lot more performances like that to come.
“This is just Game 1,” Williams said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “Like I said, I put in a lot of work. I expected to have a big game. Me personally, I expect to have a big game, I guess, it’s just big to the world just cause it’s my first one. But I plan to have a lot more. I don’t plan on this being my best game of my career. I plan on this just being a start of me being me.”
The Jameson Williams breakout has OFFICIALLY arrived in Detroit
5 Receptions
134 Total Yards
24.2 Yards per Catch
1 Touchdown
26-20 W to spoil Rams “Revenge Tour”
The rest of the NFL is not ready for a polished Jamo 🥶 pic.twitter.com/mE6wgDhvZf— dunc 🌎 (@SpartyWRLD) September 9, 2024
The breakout game was a long time in the making for Williams, who missed the majority of his rookie season while rehabbing a torn ACL and was suspended for the first four games of his second season due to a violation of the league’s gambling rules. Williams got off to a slow start in 2023 but came on late, scoring two touchdowns in the NFC Championships game.
Dan Campbell Praises Breakout Game
Head coach Dan Campbell had already shared praise for the growth Williams showed through the offseason, calling him the team’s most improved player in May.
After Sunday’s overtime win, Campbell said Williams matched the expectations he had for the third-year player.
“I expected him to play pretty good, to play better, and he showed up,” Campbell said. “I mean, that was a big game to be able to catch some of these and go through it. And the best part of it was he didn’t even play his best ball.”
Campbell added that while Williams still has some work to do, he’s on the right track and continues to put in the work needed to get to that point.
“There’s still so much to clean up, but it also shows the work that he’s put in, and he is improving, and he’s an improved player, and he wants it, and he keeps working on it,” Campbell said. “And he just, he keeps taking these steps. So as long as he keeps doing it, and keeps making plays, he’s just going to continue to get better. So yeah, I’m proud of him, I’m proud of where he’s at, but he’s got so much room to continue to grow.”
