Everyone aboard the Jameson Williams train! After a solid start to his third season in the NFL, the Detroit Lions wide receiver found himself in more trouble with the NFL and the law. Williams was suspended for two games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance (PES) policy. Outside the NFL, Williams was briefly taken into custody during a traffic stop. After all the noise of two weeks, Williams returned last week against the Houston Texans and finished with three catches for 53 yards.

Expect a lot more production from him this week.

Facing the Jacksonville Jaguars this week, who are currently projected to have the number one pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Lions should have a field day with them. Not only do the Lions have to face backup quarterback and former New England Patriots starter Mac Jones, they also have to deal with a poor defense. Let me tell you why Williams was able to have his best game yet in the NFL on Sunday.

Rebound play for Goff = more goals

Lions quarterback Jared Goff had perhaps one of the worst games of his career last week against the Houston Texans. While some of Goff’s mistakes aren’t entirely his fault, there were plenty in that game that were. Goff will want to erase what happened last week with a better performance against the Jaguars on Sunday. Luckily for him, the Jaguars have one of the worst secondaries in the league (more on that soon).

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will make some deep shots for Goff that should be against open receivers instead of contested battles. Even if Goff doesn’t try to top the Jaguars secondary, he will want to turn around his completion percentage from last week (50%) and get it back to his average from before (78.3%). With that in mind, in addition to a poor Jaguars secondary, Goff should lean on the passing attack instead of the run game this week.

Whether it’s a deep ball or a catch and run, no wide receiver will benefit more from an angry Goff wanting to show that last week was a fluke than Williams. Williams did well in the game last week, getting three catches for 53 yards. Williams was targeted by one of the intercepted deep passes, and earlier in the game there was one that was almost an interception. Still, Goff defeated Williams, something we haven’t seen happen in a while.

When Goff wants to play explosively, he knows Williams can be a lethal option, but when he wants to play it safe, Williams can quickly turn a five-yard slant route into something bigger. Either way, if the Lions become a pass-heavy team against Jacksonville, Williams should get more targets and more opportunities to dominate.

Jags poor secondary play

This week is the perfect recipe for a big game for Williams. The Lions have one of the strongest passing attacks in the NFL as they lead the NFL in completion percentage (71.9 percent) and face a secondary that ranks in the top three in passing yards allowed (2,743), completion percentage allowed (69.9), and yards per attempt (8.0). With the Jaguars struggling to stop teams in any part of their secondary, the Lions should have a field day against this unit. While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams rank in the top three in a few of these categories, they consistently differ from the Jaguars.

Funny enough about those three teams, Williams has played three of his best four games against those opponents. Against the Bucs, Cowboys and Rams, Williams had 13 catches for 276 yards and two touchdowns. His best game of his career came against the Rams early in the season, as it was still the only game in which Williams eclipsed 100 yards. Williams is an explosive player who can make explosive plays quickly, so when he faces another bad secondary player, he invites Williams to take over again.

As for the Jaguars in the secondary that would face Williams, the main emphasis would be on safety. Jaguars safeties Andre Cisco and Antonio Johnson are both having their worst seasons yet in the NFL, according to PFF.

Cisco

• PFF grade – 52.5
• Objectives – 24
• Receptions – 17
• Yards allowed – 358
• Touchdowns allowed – 3
• Sanctions – 1

Johnson

• PFF grade – 39.7
• Objectives – 23
• Receptions – 16
• Yards allowed – 207
• Touchdowns allowed – 1
• Sanctions – 3

It doesn’t get much better if you want to get the cornerbacks involved. Starting cornerbacks Ronald Darby and Tyson Campbell have struggled in coverage, and if Campbell can’t go this week because he was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday, Montaric Brown will take his spot. Brown would be a step back for Campbell and put the Jags secondary in an uphill battle.

Darby

• PFF grade – 59.8
• Objectives – 52
• Receptions – 38
• Yards allowed – 510
• Touchdowns allowed – 4
• Sanctions – 3

Campbell

• PFF grade – 62.6
• Objectives – 22
• Receptions – 13
• Yards allowed – 139
• Touchdowns allowed – 0
• Sanctions – 3

Brown

• PFF rating – 67
• Objectives – 47
• Receptions – 33
• Yards allowed – 348
• Touchdowns allowed – 2
• Sanctions – 3

Williams tries to hit his target

Before the season started, Williams had two big personal goals. It was to lead the NFL in yards and touchdowns. He’s far from the leader in either category at the moment, as Williams’ 414 yards and three touchdowns trail Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who leads the league in yards (981) and touchdowns (10). It’s not likely that Williams will achieve that goal this season, but with eight games left to play, anything is possible.

If Williams didn’t lose two games due to his suspension, he might have a better chance of scoring that goal, or at least one of them. For the lost time, Williams could make up for it with bigger matches from now on. Being so far behind could also motivate him to work harder and stay on track for the rest of the season to achieve that goal. Despite wanting to achieve the goals he set for himself, Williams would put his team’s success and Super Bowl chances ahead of his own goals.