Getty Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said on December 11 that wide receiver Jameson Williams has earned the chance for more opportunities.
On its way to a season-low 257 yards, the Detroit Lions offense didn’t involve many of its dynamic playmakers in Week 14 against the Chicago Bears.
Pro Bowl wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown only caught 3 of his 9 targets for 21 yards. Record-setting tight end Sam LaPorta also brought in only one-third of his targets (2 out of 6) for 23 yards.
But while those stars couldn’t take advantage of their opportunities, Detroit’s deep threat, second-year wideout Jameson Williams, didn’t receive many chances. He had just 1 target and 1 carry, gaining 4 yards from scrimmage.
After that little involvement, Lions head coach Dan Campbell received a question about Williams’ lack of opportunities in Week 14.
Campbell didn’t provide a notable sound bite about the team needing to get Williams the ball more often. But the head coach argued that Williams has earned the right for more opportunities.
“We’ll keep working with him. He’s improving,” Campbell told reporters on December 11. “We’ll keep working to find some different ways to get him more involved because he’s putting the work in and he’s improving.
“But he’s really no different than Saint. Keep finding ways to get Saint more involved. Reynolds did some good things. Find a way to get him involved. Look, we’re going to do what’s best for us, and ask our guys to do things that they do well. So absolutely, he’s earned that, so we’re going to keep working at it.”
Lions’ Jameson Williams Not Involved Much in Week 14
It’s important not to be too critical of the Lions’ failure to involve Williams in Week 14. The 22-year-old receiver has yet to have more than 2 touches in any game this season, and yet, the Lions sit at 9-4 with one of the best offenses in the NFL.
But things had been trending in the right direction for Williams prior to Week 14. The Bears matchup, though, was a setback.
Even though he hasn’t received many targets, Williams increased his yards from scrimmage each week from Week 8 to 12. In Week 13, he only had 1 catch for 11 yards, but Williams rushed for a 19-yard touchdown.
Williams’ playing time has increased steadily too. He’s played at least 52% of Detroit’s offensive snaps in each of the last five games.
But while Williams continued to see playing time against the Bears on December 10, he had just 1 touch and 1 target. He didn’t have a single catch for the first time since Week 7.
Is the Lions Offense Regressing?
As previously stated, the Lions have a great offense this season despite not much production from Williams. The Lions are third in yards and seventh in passing yards this season even though Williams has just 13 catches for 195 yards.
But one could argue that Detroit’s offense doesn’t appear to be getting better.
“Campbell’s Lions are trending in the wrong direction,” The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy argued in an article on December 10. “From Weeks 1-6, Goff’s passer rating of 105.1 ranked third in the NFL. He had a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 3.7 — throwing 11 touchdowns to three interceptions — good for fourth in the league. And his EPA per dropback of 0.17 was fifth. He was in the MVP discussion for a brief time, thanks to his early-season success.
“Since then, Goff has thrown 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions, the latter tied for the second-most during that span. His passer rating of 86.9 ranks 20th among qualified quarterbacks, and so does his EPA per dropback of minus-0.03. He’s also tied for the most turnovers in the NFL since Week 7.”
The easy solution to Detroit’s offensive problems is to return to what the team did in the first half of the season. That would mean a heavy dose of St. Brown and LaPorta along with a lot of carries for running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.
But perhaps the Lions need a new element — something they haven’t featured much of yet this season.
Williams caught a 45-yard touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6. Over the last month, though, the Lions have had just 2 completions of at least 45 yards.
The Lions only had 1 completion longer than 20 yards in Week 14 against the Bears.
Hitting more deep passes could be the secret to the Lions rekindling their underneath passing success with St. Brown and LaPorta. And the Lions have just the receiver in Williams to generate those deep gains down the field.