The 2026 season was expected to be a breakout season for Detroit Lions fifth-year wide receiver Jameson Williams. While it was not for a lack of opportunity, Williams disappointed out of the gate in the team’s win against the New Orleans Saints.
Williams only caught four of his nine targets and left a lot of yards on the field. He hauled in a huge 22-yard pass to set up the Lions’ touchdown in overtime. However, aside from that, it was a poor game. Emmett Matasovsky of Sports Illustrated called him a loser after the Week 1 win.
“Williams, like most of the starters, sat out the preseason. Unfortunately, that rust did not fly off the 1,000-yard receiver instantly for his first game,” wrote Matasovsky.
The nature of the incompletions was the issue for Williams.
Detroit Lions Jameson Williams Struggles in Week 1 Against New Orleans Saints
Early in the game, quarterback Jared Goff had a deep shot that looked to be in the hands of Williams. However, he looked to be running before making the catch and dropped the pass. Goff took responsibility for Williams not having his best game. Goff made it clear that he still believes in the wideout.
“Not my best getting it to him in the right spot and on time,” said Goff. “I’m not worried about him in the slightest, and I got to do a little better for him too.”
Then, the Lions tried to run a reverse. However, Williams failed to catch the pass and had to jump on the ball for a loss of six yards.
Williams had another drop in the third quarter. The pass was slightly high, but it hit Williams in the hand, and he could not bring it in. While his next pass was a contested catch opportunity, he dropped that as well, and the team had to punt rather than drive for the lead.
Williams did have a key catch to help the team win the game. Still, a lot of yardage was left on the table.
Lions Have Big Expectations for Williams
His nine targets were second on the team, behind Amon-Ra St. Brown. So, he had plenty of chances, and Goff appears to be ready to give him more looks. Still, this is not how Williams expected his season to start. He had improved in yardage every year in his career so far, and the expectation was for him to improve once again.
Williams went from 41 yards as a rookie to 354 in his second NFL season. He broke out, with 1,001 yards in his third NFL season. Still, he found a way to build on that last season. Williams posted 1,117 yards.
He averaged 65 yards per game last season. So, his 45 yards this week were not quite on par. We will see how Williams can bounce back.
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