National Football League

NFL breakout star: Lions WR Jameson Williams says Week 1 showing 'just the start'

Published Sep. 11, 2024 10:31 a.m. ET

Editor's note: This is the first installment of a season-long series on a breakout star from the past week of NFL action. The Week 1 winner: Detroit Lions receiver Jameson Williams.

After the Lions' 26-20 overtime victory Sunday night over the Rams to open their 2024 season, Jameson Williams walked into the postgame press conference holding his first game ball at any level.

The Detroit receiver couldn't help but smile.

"I ain't never did this before," he said, referencing how he was speaking at the podium.

Williams caught five passes on nine targets for a career-high 121 receiving yards (third-most among all NFL players in Week 1) and a touchdown to help guide the Lions' win. In a game in which Detroit couldn't get its top two pass-catchers going — stars Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta combined for seven receptions and 58 yards — the former first-round pick led the charge until the rest of the offense found its way.

That's why Williams is FOX Sports' breakout NFL star for Week 1.

"The best part of it is he didn't even play his best ball," Lions coach Dan Campbell said postgame. "There's still so much to clean up. … He's improving. He's an improved player. He wants it, man."

The Lions' WR2 behind St. Brown, Williams is needed to consistently show up as he did in the opener. He's widely viewed as an X-factor in Detroit's hopes to reach the Super Bowl for the first time.

After Williams starred in training camp, many league observers pegged him as a breakout candidate in Year 3. His first two NFL seasons were impacted by a torn ACL suffered in college at Alabama — he didn't make his NFL debut until Week 13 of his rookie year — and a suspension last season for violating the NFL's gambling policy. After sitting out four games, he returned to put up 24 catches for 354 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games, including 10 starts.

The No. 12 overall pick in 2022, Williams has 30 receptions for 516 yards and four touchdowns in 19 appearances.

"I put in a lot of work. Not just this year. It's been continuous work ever since I got into the league," Williams said. "It's just the time to show it. First game. It's just the start, though. We got 16 more in the regular season. Playoffs. We got a lot more ball to play. It's just the start."

Why Williams was successful in Week 1

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson's playcalling placed an emphasis on getting Williams the ball in space, where his speed created big gains for Detroit. Of his 121 receiving yards, 63 came after the catch against the Rams (52%), according to Next Gen Stats.

The play that most will talk about is Williams' 52-yard touchdown, where he dusted former All-Pro cornerback Tre'Davious White on a double move down the sideline. But his effectiveness was on display on in-breaking routes throughout the contest, which the Lions could look to deploy all season.

For example, in the second quarter, Williams picked up 36 yards on a dig route with the Rams in man coverage. Pre-snap motion left safety Quentin Lake manned up against Williams, who ran opposite of Lake's outside leverage and Los Angeles had no help over the middle. Two of Williams' five receptions also came on shallow crosses in the second half, with one picking up 27 yards.

But the Lions also used Williams in the run game. Late in the second quarter, he picked up 13 yards on a reverse.

Detroit this season could look to utilize his speed to stretch defenses more horizontally in the run game, offering another threat outside of star second-year running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Williams had just three rushing attempts last regular season, tied for 45th among wide receivers, but totaled 29 yards (9.7 yards per carry) and a touchdown on those carries. In the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers, he took a reverse 42 yards for a touchdown.

That offered a taste of Williams' star potential — as did the 2024 opener.

"Me personally, I expected to have a big game," Williams said. "I guess it's just big for the world because it's my first one. But I plan on having a lot more. I don't plan on this being my best game of my career.

"I plan on this just being the start."

Not to mention a jump-start for the Lions' title aspirations.

Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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