Washington at Detroit Divisional Playoff Thread

[Fraquar]

If I had a choice, I'd rather have the ball to start the second half. If there is a flaw, it is sometimes the Lions can have a couple bad drives to start the 1st half.

When they played Buffalo, the Bills had just got run over by the Rams because they don't have a great run defense. Williams was getting 5 yards a pop. Against the Bills, the Lions tried to establish the run in the 1st quarter, they were stuffed and spent the rest of the game playing catch-up.

We must have watched a different game.
They had 8 plays - 6 of them were passing plays.
Goff was sacked as many times as he handed the ball off.

Bam, it was 14-0 Bills. Hot knife through butter - Lions defense had no answer for Buffalo as they drove the ball down the field both times.
Did they even have a 3rd down?

[whatever_gong82]

Coordinator recap: Johnson and Glenn talk head coach interviews and Fipp raves about Commanders special teams

Justin Rogers
Jan 15

Allen Park — Here are the most interesting items to come out of Wednesday’s media sessions with the Detroit Lions three coordinators.


Interview check-in

Detroit’s offensive and defensive coordinators interviewed for nine head coaching vacancies during the team’s bye last weekend. Both Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson briefly touched on those experiences.


“I think you learn a number of things each year that you go through them and you try to improve on those each year,” defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “But I think the one thing that I get out of all these interviews is, man, I’m going to be myself. Either you’ll like it or you don’t. If you don’t, all good. I keep telling you guys, I have a great job here, and if you like it, if it’s an opportunity I think that’s best for me and my family, then we’ll take a look at it.”

Johnson, always more reluctant to talk about those opportunities, was asked how he’s a better candidate now than he was the past two hiring cycles.




“Shoot, this go-around, I’ve just — I’ve been a lot more prepared for the types of questions that they’ve been asking,” Johnson said. “I’ve also changed my frame of mind a little bit. Instead of worrying solely about the offense and what we’re doing right here, I’ve been able to have offseasons and summers to think about the big-picture view, what a program would look like where I’m running it. I think that way, I’m a lot more prepared for the questions that come my way and I’m much more comfortable answering them.”

Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp, who long desired to be a head coach, is no longer chasing that dream. Still, he offered some poignant thoughts on what the franchises looking for new leadership should and shouldn't be chasing with their next hires.


“It happens in every profession, but it’s like, somebody does a good job and then it’s, ‘OK, well, what was that model? How did they do that?” Fipp said. “…The bottom line is the guys who do the best at the job, in my opinion, are dynamic leaders. They’re super smart in all phases. They know how to relate to a lot of different people and please a lot of different people. They know how to motivate a lot of different people.

“It really comes down to less about the guy can call this play or that play, (or) he’s good on this side of the ball or that side of the ball,” Fipp said. “I mean, these guys are dynamic leaders who know how to handle an NFL locker room. So, I think ultimately, it doesn’t matter where they come from. People need to just look for the best leaders possible and the problem is that they look for the same formula as the last team that did a good job and they don’t realize that the things that make that guy successful.”


Strategic considerations

The Commanders were the most efficient team in the NFL on fourth down this season, converting 20-of-23 tries. They then dialed up their aggressiveness in Sunday’s Wild Card win over Tampa Bay, going for it on fourth five times and converting on three of those tries.


Glenn said Washington's uptick in aggression has to be considered when game-planning this week.

“Yes, so now you look at what they’re going to do on third down,” Glenn said. “It really opens up their offense because they might tend to run the ball more on third-and-5, third-and-6 because they know they’re going for it on fourth down. We have to be in tune to that, and that comes from film study. We’ve done a good job of understanding who this head coach is, how they try to operate, to try to make sure we’re prepared for all those things.”


On third-and-medium — needing between 3-5 yards — the Commanders ran the ball just five times in the regular season, compared to dropping back to pass 50 times. Glenn is obviously suggesting the trend could shift if the Commanders come into this game intent on going for it more frequently on fourth down like they did against the Buccaneers.

We’ve seen that approach from the Lions. Consistently one of the league's most aggressive teams on fourth downs under Campbell, they ran it 18 times on third-and-medium this season vs. 43 dropbacks in those situations.


Rebalancing the backfield rotation

Regarding the pending return of David Montgomery to the lineup, Johnson said he's still getting a feel for how the rotation with Jahmyr Gibbs will take shape.

“It’s to be determined,” Johnson said. “Gibbs has certainly had a hot hand as of late and I expect David to come in and pick up where he left off. If the last two days are any indication, he’s of the right mindset right now. So we’ll see what it looks like today on the field and tomorrow as well, and we’ll finalize our plan after that.”


Through the first 14 games, before Montgomery’s knee injury, the duo were close to evenly splitting touches. Montgomery had 223 carries or targets, while Gibbs recorded 235 through that stretch.

During the three games Montgomery was sidelined, Gibbs racked up 487 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns, earning the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Month.


What makes Terry scary?

Terry McLaurin has been a highly productive receiver in the NFL for years. He topped 1,000 yards for the fifth consecutive season in 2024 while setting a career-high with 13 touchdown grabs. That earned him second-team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career.

Glenn was asked what makes the former Ohio State standout so challenging to defend.


“He’s highly, highly competitive,” Glenn said. “He does a really good job on 50-50 balls, which you wouldn’t think that he would because of his stature (six-foot, 210 pounds), but he does a really good job of that. He’s always been a good player. We went against this player several times, but that’s the one thing that really stands out is his competitive nature.

“He kind of reminds me of how (Amon-Ra St. Brown) Saint goes about (his business) because he will block, he’ll go across the middle, he’ll take hits, he’ll get back up, get back to the huddle,” Glenn said. “He’s a gamer, so it doesn’t surprise me, the success he’s having.”


A different look on special teams

Fipp has long rejected the various special teams rankings in favor of his constantly evolving personal hierarchy — which has never been publicly explained, by the way — but he noted he believes his group was the second-best in the NFL this season.

The best? Probably predictable considering Detroit's postseason docket: The Commanders.


"This team that we’re going against, not that I’m big in the metrics, but according to my metrics, they’re the best in the NFL,” Fipp said. “These guys are really good. They do a great job, really, in all phases — punt, punt return, kickoff, kickoff return. Their special teams coordinator is a guy that I respect a lot, both personally and professionally. Larry Izzo played in the league for a long time and was a heck of a player when I first got in the league in 2008.

The Commanders ranked top 10 in kickoff and punt return average, as well as net punting. If there is an obvious weakness, it’s been the team’s field goal kicking after cycling through multiple options this year. They’ve especially struggled from long distance, making just two-of-eight from 50 yards and beyond.



Where Washington is unique is how they’ve approached the NFL’s dynamic kickoff rule. Unlike most teams, which have embraced accepting the more punitive touchbacks, the Commanders have allowed, or more appropriately encouraged, 73 returns. That was the most in the league, by a wide margin.

The approach has led to the Commanders dominating the special teams tackles leaderboard, with safety Jeremy Reaves and linebacker Nick Bellore each topping 20, pacing six Washington players in double-digits.


Fipp hopes the opponent sticks to that strategy on Saturday.

“Yeah, it’s great,” Fipp said. “We’ll take them, for sure. We’re excited, let’s see what we can get.”


Making ‘em go left

Based on a reader-inspired question from the Detroit Football Network chat, I asked Glenn if there's ever an effort to force a mobile quarterback to scramble one direction based on the basketball concept of forcing a right-handed dribbler to his left.


“Absolutely, especially when you look at his rush pattern and the way he tries to escape from the pocket,” Glenn said. “If there’s a guy that really wants to escape to his right or to his left, you try not to let him escape that way for the most part.

“But as you see, this league is trending toward all these quarterbacks that are just so athletic that it’s hard for your defensive linemen to try to contain these guys,” Glenn continued. “You have to do a lot as far as being disciplined in your rush, obviously sending more people at him so you can make sure you close up as many lanes as you can. Man, we try our best to do that. Against (Cardinals quarterback) Kyler (Murray) I think we did a really good job, obviously Buffalo, we didn’t do as good of a job. We expect to do a really good job this week against Jayden (Daniels).”


Former Wolverine on the rise

Johnson offered some behind-the-scenes insight on Washington's impressive rookie cornerback Mike Sainristil, the former University of Michigan standout.

“The thing about him that stood out to me — and this goes back to the springtime — we had a number of Michigan players come into the building, whether it was top-30 visits or a local pro day. Every single one of those players said that they would bring him along. Every single player said he was the one guy from Michigan that they would want to bring along with them, and to me, that spoke volumes because it’s rare that you see all these same guys from the same school and they say the same person. It’s normally the cliques you hang out with.


“I see a guy on tape that fits their defense,” Johnson continued. “…They are flying around, reckless almost, borderline reckless, but calculated, and he fits that mold for them perfectly. He’s always around the ball, not afraid to tackle. It’s been a really impressive rookie year for him.”

A 16-game starter, Sainristil racked up 93 tackles while pacing the Commanders with 14 pass breakups and two interceptions.


A gesture not forgotten

It can be interesting learning about how opposing coaches intersected on their way up the ranks. Fipp explained where he first met Dan Quinn and how the impression the coach made in that meeting laid a foundation of respect Detroit’s special teams coordinator has for the Commanders coach.


“I love the guy,” Fipp said. “When I was at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo — this is way back, but I was coaching 1-AA, and just north of us is San Francisco 49ers — he was a quality control coach, coaching d-line there and we went up there," Fipp explained. "...I was coaching defense at the time and he spent all morning with us in a room. He was going over everything, d-line play, arm bar, arm over, swim moves, all of the different techniques that they use, and spent damn near a whole day with us and our defensive staff from Cal Poly.

"...A hell of a football coach, a football guy who gets the game, loves the players, very passionate, and these guys play like that."




Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net

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Bluesky: Justin-Rogers

[whatever_gong82]

Lions film review: Separating fact from fiction regarding the defense's handling of mobile quarterbacks this season

Justin Rogers
Jan 16


The focus of the week is how the Detroit Lions will handle Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels’ mobility. (Getty Images)
Allen Park — Earlier this week, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell was asked if he bought into the narrative that his team struggles against running quarterbacks. The coach immediately flipped the question back on the asker.

“Do you buy that?”

The snappy retort is valid. Moments can have a stronger place in our memory than trends. In 2022, the response to Campbell would have been, ‘Um, yeah.’


Quarterbacks ran wild on the Lions that year, more so than any defense in the past decade. Former Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields was the primary culprit, racking up 279 rushing yards across two meetings. Overall, Detroit allowed a staggering 700 rushing yards to the position that season.

They’ve been better the past couple of seasons, surrendering 419 yards in 2023 and 454 yards this season. Those totals still rank closer to the bottom of the league, but not egregiously far off the NFL's 344-yard average this past season. Broken down further, we're talking a difference of 6 yards per game.


Regardless, the topic merits additional exploration ahead of Saturday’s playoff game with the Washington Commanders and fleet-footed rookie QB Jayden Daniels, who finished second in rushing yards for his position.

How big of a concern is Daniels’ ability to do damage with his legs, not just because that’s who he is, but because of Detroit’s preparedness to stop it?


Ahead of this weekend's matchup, I reviewed the tape from the Lions’ eight games against quarterbacks who finished the year with at least 250 rushing yards. Against Detroit, those QBs registered 49 carries, 331 yards and three touchdowns. That accounts for nearly three-quarters of the position's rushing production against the team in 2024.

What showed up in the tape from those games and how equipped are the Lions to handle what Daniels is bringing to Ford Field this week?


Week 2: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Baker Mayfield’s season stats: 60 carries, 378 yards (6.3 yards per carry)

Against the Lions: 5 carries, 34 yards, one touchdown

What happened: In reality, it was a four-carry performance for Mayfield, who was one of two quarterbacks to take a knee to run out the clock on a victory against the Lions in 2024.


In the contest, Mayfield scrambled three times and had one designed run. In the opening quarter, the Lions rushed five with rookie defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo coming up the middle on a stunt. The QB was able to evade that defender and found a lane when nose tackle DJ Reader was dragged to the ground by the guard — a missed holding infraction — resulting in a 12-yard gain.

When Mayfield tried to scramble toward the end of the first half, he had less luck as defensive end Josh Paschal shed his blocker and dropped the QB after a gain of 1 yard.


Unable to find an open man against Detroit’s Cover-2 zone on a third-and-4 snap in the third quarter, Mayfield danced in the pocket before bailing a third time. Detroit’s rush lane integrity was good, but the quarterback found a narrow lane as defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike spun while attempting to beat a double team. Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez had a shot at Mayfield in the second level, near the first-down marker, but was juked by the QB in the open field, resulting in an 11-yard pickup.

On the next snap, Mayfield ran a designed draw from an empty-set shotgun formation. Tampa’s blocking was excellent, although the officials again missed a hold, this time on defensive tackle Kyle Peko, which sprung the QB into the second level, where Tampa’s center climbed to neutralize linebacker Jack Campbell, giving Mayfield a cutback lane into the end zone.



Week 3: Arizona Cardinals

Kyler Murray’s season stats: 78 carries, 572 yards (7.3 yards per carry)

Against the Lions: 5 carries, 45 yards

What happened: Murray is one of the league’s quickest quarterbacks. He gave Detroit some early issues with a pair of first-quarter runs — one designed and one scramble — netting 34 yards.


On the first, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson got caught surfing too far inside on a zone-read as the QB kept the ball and took the edge for 13 yards.

With the second, after the Lions took away Murray’s first and second reads with man-to-man coverage, the quarterback bolted around the left edge of his formation. Linebacker Derrick Barnes was responsible for setting the edge, but a subtle hold by left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. (70) was all the speedy Murray needed to turn the corner into space for the 21-yard gain.


The Lions did a nice job the rest of the way. Safety Brian Branch stopped a scramble after 3 yards, safety Kerby Joseph came forward to drop Murray short of the sticks on a third-and-9 and force a punt, and cornerback Carlton Davis III made one of the biggest plays of that game, keeping pace with Murray on a fourth-and-1 sprint to the perimeter, driving the QB out of bounds before he could make the line to gain.


Week 4: Seattle Seahawks

Geno Smith’s season stats: 53 carries, 272 yards (5.1 yards per carry)

Against the Lions: Five carries, 38 yards


What happened: Smith didn’t attempt to run until the closing seconds of the first half when he had a designed carry against Detroit’s prevent defense that helped get his team in range for a 62-yard field goal try that kicker Jason Myers missed.

In the third quarter, Smith had a standard sneak to convert a fourth-and-1 and a desperation scramble up the middle for 2 yards on a clearly broken play.

Smith added two scrambles, going for 11 yards each, late in the fourth quarter. At that point, the Seahawks were down two scores and neither play was particularly impactful. On both, an overzealous Hutchinson overran the pocket, providing the escape lane.


Week 12: Indianapolis Colts

Anthony Richardson’s season stats: 86 carries, 499 yard (5.8 yards per carry)

Against the Lions: 10 carries, 61 yards


What happened: Richardson, with his supersized frame and elite athleticism, was the first quarterback to give the Lions consistent issues with his running ability this season.

The Colts like to run a zone-read where if the QB keeps the ball, he has pulling blockers to follow on the backside.

Detroit struggled with the concept, giving up gains of 10 and 17 yards in the first five minutes of the game.


Richardson added another 8 yards on a sprint out to the left edge, giving him 35 yards in the first quarter. That slowed to a trickle in the second frame before he broke off another 17-yard gain in the third quarter. Richardson’s size and power were the problem here as the Lions had him stopped for a modest gain before the QB broke two tackles.


Detroit limited the damage the rest of the way and even found an answer to the pulling lead blockers, having defensive end Za’Darius Smith (99) go low to blow up the design.


Week 13: Chicago Bears

Caleb Williams’ season stats: 81 carries, 489 yards (6.0 yards per carry)

Against the Lions: Four carries, 39 yards


What happened: What happened: All four of Williams’ runs on Thanksgiving were scrambles. On the first, the Lions arguably conceded it on a third-and-13 with an aggressive rush featuring twists, paired with a deep zone drop by the underneath layer. Williams gained 10 before he was stopped.


On the next, the QB converted a second-and-4 when Wingo, rushing from the edge, overran the pocket and conceded the escape lane for the easy first down.


Later, on second-and-11, Williams took an open path up the middle when Detroit’s defensive tackles both tried to take the outside edge of the guards blocking them, resulting in a 7-yard pickup.

Finally, Smith lost his footing while trying to slice inside. That blew up Detroit’s entire rush plan as Williams sidestepped Alim McNeill in the pocket, turning a 2nd-and-17 into third-and-manageable with a 13-yard carry.


Week 15: Buffalo Bills

Josh Allen’s season stats: 102 carries, 531 yards (5.2 yards per carry)

Against the Lions: 11 carries, 68 yards, two touchdowns


What happened: The MVP candidate delivered the best rushing performance by a QB against the Lions in 2024, part of a wholly dominant showing by the Bills offense that afternoon.

Similar to what the Colts did for Richardson, the Bills ran a lot of designed looks for the bigger-bodied Allen, often providing him pulling lead blockers. Still, the output was modest through the first half. The first touchdown came on a sneak, then it was 6 yards, 4 yards, 4 yards, the latter his second rushing score of the game.


That play was a defensive disaster, with two linebackers following the same coverage assignment to the flat, allowing Allen to skip into the end zone untouched on the keeper.


Even with the breakdown, it’s tough to get worked up about four carries for 15 yards. But Allen’s total swelled with gains of 10, 11 and 21 in the second half.

Paschal whiffed one-on-one in the backfield on the first, Turner was sluggish to react to a scramble up the gut in a spy-like role on the second, and Paschal inexplicably sold out on a shotgun handoff from the backside edge, giving Allen an easy lane for his biggest gain of the day that goes for more than 21, potentially even a 44-yard touchdown, if the QB doesn’t give himself up to kill more clock.



Week 16: Chicago Bears

Caleb Williams’ season stats: 81 carries, 489 yards (6.0 yards per carry)

Against the Lions: Six carries, 34 yards


What happened: It was effectively four carries, with Williams being assessed fumbles on a pair of botched end-arounds to his receivers, and just like Thanksgiving, all the runs were scrambles, not designed.


Similar to that first meeting, Williams took advantage of an interior stunt on third-and-long to make a run for it. He should have been dropped quickly, but linebacker Ben Niemann couldn’t make the open-field tackle, resulting in a 13-yard pickup.

Detroit pursued well the next two scrambles, limiting the gains to 4 and 6 yards, with one of those forcing a punt on third down. The fourth and final scramble was Williams’ most productive run, netting 11 yards to convert second-and-10. Detroit initially did an outstanding job crushing the pocket, but Paschal got a little loose with his lane integrity late in the snap, providing an interior escape for the QB.



Week 17: San Francisco 49ers

Brock Purdy’s season stats: 66 carries, 323 yards (4.9 yards per carry)

Against the Lions: Three carries, 12 yards, one touchdown


What happened: Purdy ran QB sneaks on back-to-back plays during the game’s opening drive, failing to get a first down on the first before successfully moving the chains with a second try.


His final carry came on a second-and-goal scramble from the 9-yard line. With Detroit’s zone defense taking away his reads, the QB took advantage of some sloppy rush lanes and three of four linemen overrunning his pocket, bolting up the middle.

Linebacker Ezekiel Turner was in conflict between halting Purdy’s scramble and protecting his zone. The QB took advantage of this with a pump fake, freezing the defender long enough to plow into the end zone for the score.

Had Purdy opted to throw instead of fake the toss, it would have also resulted in a touchdown.



Concluding thoughts

● Jayden Daniels is a different style runner than the Lions have faced this year. In terms of his scrambling, the closest comparison is Caleb Williams. Both are quick and elusive in space and the open field.

But Daniels has far more designed runs built into his scheme than Williams, like Allen, but with more speed, or Richardson, with less power. That said, Daniels has been known to embrace contact to a concerning degree, given his leaner frame. If he doesn’t slide or take the sideline against the Lions, expect them to embrace the opportunity to put a little extra hot sauce on their hits the way Campbell laid into Williams on Thanksgiving when the Bears QB tried to cut back inside instead of running out of bounds.


● In addition to zone-reads, the Commanders bring another layer of stress to defenses with their heavy reliance on run-pass options, better known as RPOs. They ran the third-most in football this season, gaining nearly 1,100 on those 150 snaps.


● Detroit’s issues against running quarterbacks, to date, are overblown. They gave up a handful of ugly gains this season, but there’s not much troubling in the overall body of work.

It was notable how infrequently Alex Anzalone showed up on the tape of the worst plays/games against mobile quarterbacks. It was often the backup linebackers — Turner, Rodriguez, Niemann — making miscues in the open field. Having the veteran leader out there will undoubtedly be a big boost for Detroit’s defense.


● Dan Campbell emphasized discipline up front as a key. That showed up repeated in Detroit’s breakdowns against running quarterbacks. Still, they’re so much better at not overrunning the pocket compared to two years ago and need to remain diligent in that area against the Commanders. Also, at the risk of sacrificing some interior pressure, the defensive tackles would be better off focusing their efforts on pushing their blockers into the pocket with bull rushes, as opposed to trying to get an edge on the guards, which tends to create those inside escape lanes.


● Given how often Daniels gets outside, perimeter tackling will be huge. The Lions have built a roster of willing and eager tacklers in the secondary, so look for Amik Robertson, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Terrion Arnold and Branch to factor into slowing Washington’s quarterback.

Normally, against a running QB, you could reasonably expect a heavy dose of zone coverage. I’m not sure the Lions go in that direction. First, it’s not their schematic preference. And second, Daniels has shredded zone coverage throughout his rookie season.


● I was curious which teams had the most success stopping quarterback rushing this season. It was the Vikings. They allowed just 160 rushing yards. I imagine that has to do with coordinator Brian Flores’ aggression and league-high blitz rate, which creates chaos that rushes decisions while preventing quarterbacks from frequently escaping the pocket.

In the past, I’ve noticed the Steelers have generally been strong in the department, likely an emphasis given they share a division with Lamar Jackson. Without studying their tape, I have to believe it’s a combination of a fundamentally sound 3-4 front taking away many of the inside lanes, an elite run-stopper on the edge in T.J. Watt, mixed with a historically aggressive use of the blitz.


Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net

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[chemiclord]

What you're seeing is the troubling nature of narratives. Once a narrative has been established, it takes a LOT for it to die.

If the Redskins think they'll be able to designed QB run to victory, they are likely going to be surprised when they don't get the returns they need.

[Iron Lion]

Remember guys, Washington is 30th on defense vs the rush.
Lions need to get out in front early( win the toss and take the ball).
They must not overemphasize the rush and forget the passing game, but use play action like crazy .
I hope Montgomery is used 1/3 and Gibbs 2/3 and I hope he is READY . I don’t want any set backs for him. He is a leader in the locker room and we need him for the stretch run.

Lions win easily 35-17

I think the Lions haven't done much when receiving first this year, but also as a general rule, you want the 2nd half ball if you're at home because you don't want the visiting offense to be on the field when the seats are still half empty.

On top of that, giving the visitors the ball first will let your fans get all their screams out that they've been holding in for hours.

[whatever_gong82]

Zeitler out for Saturday’s game.

Mahogany to start.

https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2025/1/16/24344704/lions-vs-commanders-nfl-playoffs-injury-designations-kevin-zeitler-ruled-out

[mason reese]

I think the Lions haven't done much when receiving first this year, but also as a general rule, you want the 2nd half ball if you're at home because you don't want the visiting offense to be on the field when the seats are still half empty.

Empty? Because of concession and rest room lines?

[CGVT]

I am always a fan of taking the ball first in the second half.

[froot loops]

I remember when it was a big deal when teams deferred the toss.

[CGVT]

I remember when it was a big deal when teams deferred the toss.

Yep, but it seems to be the best strategy now.

[froot loops]

Once the spike was invented it made two minute offenses much easier. Belichick and Brady made the 2 for 1 a thing.

[chemiclord]

Once the spike was invented it made two minute offenses much easier. Belichick and Brady made the 2 for 1 a thing.

"What's a spike?" - Todd Bowles

[DanO]

I remember when it was a big deal when teams deferred the toss.

I've always thought and wanted them to do just that. I never understood taking the ball first but I like it in certain situations like this weekend. Take the ball first. Score. Game over! Washington gets behind and the game is over.

[whatever_gong82]

'I love that kid': Lions' patience pays off with Jameson Williams helping take offense to historic new heights

Justin Rogers
Jan 17




Allen Park — Jameson Williams has been a test of patience in an industry that rarely allows one.

First, the Lions had to wait for him to heal. They knew that when they drafted him. Then they had to wait for him to mature, more than once, if we're being honest. They also anticipated that when they drafted him.



But the franchise's willingness to shepherd him through to the other side — when others might not have been so understanding — is paying rewards. And after a record-setting season for the team's offense, we can safely point to the emergence of Williams as an X factor worthy of patience and worth the wait.

"It's been a learning experience for everybody, I think," offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said late last month. "Since he got in the building here, it's been all of us coaches, coach (Dan) Campbell, myself, (wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle) El, all of us have been on board trying to have him understand the expectations and what we really need, what Jared (Goff) needs, what the O-line needs, what we all need for this whole thing to work.



"It's taken a little bit of time, but it's really taken off now at this point," Johnson continued. "He's very detailed and very smart. Very smart. And that might go unnoticed, but you say something to him, you coach him, and it hits him. He understands it, and I think it's because he's so smart. He's able to really grasp what we're trying to do."

Some delays were inevitable. Others, as Campbell put it, were self-inflicted. When Williams arrived in Detroit, he spent most of his rookie season rehabbing the ACL he tore in January. Once medically cleared, he was essentially a non-factor outside of a couple of flashes. He caught just one of nine targets — a 41-yard bomb for a touchdown — and added a 40-yard run. At the very least, he drove home the big-play potential the Lions envisioned when they traded up 20 spots in the first round to select him No. 12 overall.



Fully healthy coming into his second season, everyone expected things to take off. Instead, that rocket was grounded by a six-game suspension to start the year for violating the league's gambling policy. That was eventually reduced to a four-game ban, but the momentum was derailed. A bout of bad hands further anchored his sophomore contributions.

The flashes were still there, but the grand vision remained more of a mirage. In 12 games, Williams caught 24 balls yet never topped 70 yards. Halfway through his rookie contract, the production wasn't matching the investment.



But by the end of the season, the messaging was sinking in, the organization's culture penetrating his impressionable mind. And, at some point down the stretch, the lightbulb came on.

"I love that kid because he's had to endure a lot, some of it is his own doing. He knows that and that's what I appreciate is he's — it took him a minute to buy into what we were doing," Campbell said. "He can be a little hard-headed, and it's also why you love him. It's why I love him. But he's learned along the way and he's growing. Honestly, you want to say the best thing he's done is when he finally dropped the armor and he endeared himself to his teammates.



"He became a part of the team and that took place last year," Campbell said. "Towards the end of last year, you could start to feel it. And it's only gotten better and better and better, and every one of these (things) that's happened, he's grown. He's learning from it, and I love where he's at. I really do, I'm proud of him. … I said this last year, he's part of the herd now. He's part of the stock and that's the best thing ever."

Williams went into this past offseason with enhanced focus and intent. He didn't have to make a show of the work he put in because the results were recognizable. More than anywhere else, you could see it in his budding chemistry with Goff, resulting in a surge in deep ball production through OTAs and training camp.



And that's carried into the regular season. Williams' six receptions of 40 or more yards tied for fourth in the NFL this season, propelling him to the meaningful milestone of 1,000 yards on the year.

"It meant a lot," Williams said this week. "Shoutout to my coaches for forcing that on me," Williams said. "I appreciate them a lot for that. It was huge to me, and my people, and my goals."



From a personnel standpoint, very little changed about Detroit's offense this season. They swapped out Jonah Jackson for Kevin Zeitler along the offensive line, and Tim Patrick was eventually tabbed to replace Josh Reynolds as the team's third starting receiver. That continuity makes it even easier to point to Williams' development as the extra oomph that elevated them from one of the league's best offenses the past couple of years to one of the best in league history, setting franchise records for points, yards and touchdowns in 2024.

"He's provided an element to our offense that we hadn't really had previously," Goff said. "It's nice. It's really good what he's done and being able to get better every week. …His maturity has grown and he pushes himself really hard. He really does, and he holds himself to a high standard and he wants to get better and he wants to improve. He's constantly communicating with me. It's a lot of fun to work with him and when he makes plays like that, you see all the work pay off and he'll just continue to get better."



What's Williams' ceiling? No one can say. He delivered three 100-yard games this season and found the end zone eight times. There were weeks when the game plan flowed through him and others when he blended into the background. Still, his consistency unquestionably improved as the season went on. He had five or more catches in six of the final seven games and at least 50 receiving yards in seven of the final nine.

"I don't know if you can put a number on the limit," Johnson said. "But I know he's surrounded by some really good players and when you get a bunch of talented guys together, they can do some really special things."



Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net

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[Dan V]

Jamo is like your stupid little brother who doesn't know when to quit while he's ahead, who gets into stupid messes, but in the end, he is your brother and you love him.

Listening to his interviews, he is so genuine , likable , and like a sweet, immature kid, and I mean that in a good way.

He doesn't hide behind a false front and is such a sincere dude, not like the WR divas throughout the league.

This team is truly a TEAM , a band of brothers and hands off to Brad Holmes and Campbell for assembling them. It's almost like they had their players undergo some kind of personality assessment test during the draft to weed out the ME first guys and put together a team, not a band of individuals who happen to work together.