Lions fans shouldn’t be writing Jameson Williams’ obitu—nope, we’re not doing this
Jameson Williams had an ugly Week 1. Nobody is disputing that. But the reaction from some Lions fans has already gone way beyond what one bad afternoon deserves.
Look, I can’t believe I even have to do this. Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams had a rough Week 1. Let’s call it what it is. He had multiple drops, including a big one on what would have been a giant explosive play that probably would have scored. He had two other drops on what would have been first downs, and he had an ugly fumble (or drop, whatever you want to call it) on an end-around that wound up being a loss for the Lions.
It wasn’t pretty. But he did have a huge catch late in overtime, a catch that set up the Lions’ game-winning touchdown. You have to give him some credit for that.
The overreaction is out of control
Lions fans do this thing online where they’re just ready to call it a day. They’re ready to write an obituary on this guy. I saw so many comments about how they need to trade him, how the Lions need to just get rid of him. One comment was something like, “Two years ago they told me he’d be fine, and now here we are and he’s still this.”
I don’t know what you guys are talking about. He’s had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He’s been a very good wide receiver. There are a large number of teams in this league that would trade an arm and a leg to get Jameson Williams on their roster.
I know you’re upset about the Lions not blowing out the Saints the way you told yourself they would, because New Orleans didn’t make the playoffs last year and they play in the NFC South, and it’s not a good division, and blah, blah, blah. But I’ve been telling you, we’ve all been telling you, the Lions have been telling you, Dan Campbell has been telling you for two weeks. Every writer in town, myself included, has been saying over and over that the Saints are not a slouch. New Orleans is not an easy victory. That is not a team to be looked past.
Yes, they started 1-7 last year, but that was not how they finished. They have one of the best defenses in the league. Even though Detroit put up 31 on them, the Saints still have a very good defense.
Every great player has bad days
A lot of Lions fans wouldn’t listen to any of that, and because of it, they think the Lions should have gone out and blown this team out. Believe me, Detroit had a chance to do that. They probably should have, had they not had a couple of drives stall out and some drops. Jameson Williams deserves some blame for that, sure. But this was not a bad football team the Lions played against.
I know there’s this idea that it’s over, that Williams’ time in Detroit should be done, that they shouldn’t have paid him, that they should trade him. But I don’t know what to tell you. He played very well in 2024 and 2025, and I’m sure he’s going to be totally fine in 2026. This was a bad day, and every player is going to have one.
The most elite players of all time have had bad days. Calvin Johnson had bad days. Barry Sanders had bad days. Tom Brady had bad days. Peyton Manning had bad days. Everyone has a bad day. Everyone has multiple bad days. This will not be the last bad game for Jameson Williams. But that doesn’t mean it’s time to write him off and say goodbye.
What Campbell and Goff said matters
Coming out of this game, Dan Campbell and Jared Goff both had good things to say about Williams and his confidence. They believe in him. They don’t expect him to fall off. They don’t expect this to be what he looks like for the rest of his career. I don’t expect it either.
None of this is indicative of what we saw this summer. What we saw from Williams during camp was a guy who looked stronger, a guy who looked more confident, a guy who had gotten better at tracking the ball in the air, a guy who was making a ton of contested catches. For whatever reason, he came out in this game and it just didn’t work out.
I ragged on him. I had negative things to say about him. But at no point was I thinking the Lions should trade him. And look, I know I’m the guy who two years ago wrote an article about how the Lions might trade him, which a lot of fans read as me saying they should, or even worse, that they will. That’s not what I said at any point. What I suggested was that the Lions were bringing in receivers and maybe thinking about not paying Williams, maybe thinking about what his value could be. That’s in the past. Doesn’t matter.
The point is, Jameson Williams is a huge part of this football team. On Thursday, he does have to have a better game. He’s got to come out and play better. It’s as simple as that. But don’t write his obituary. It’s not over. I’m sure by Wednesday, most Lions fans won’t feel the same way they felt on Sunday right after the game.
Which, by the way, was a win.
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