Jameson Williams’ 22-yard catch during overtime helped set up the winning touchdown and point-after attempt Sunday in the Detroit Lions’ 31-30 victory over the New Orleans Saints. It was also the team’s longest play from scrimmage. But Williams was remembered for all the plays he didn’t make that afternoon.
He let a deep shot from Jared Goff slip through his fingers late in the first quarter. Shortly thereafter, he couldn’t corral a throw that may have been tipped by defensive back Quincy Riley. He then failed to secure a pitch on an end-around, which resulted in a fumble and a six-yard loss. Later, in he second half, a third-down pass that was slightly high and off target glanced off his fingers. According to Pro Football Reference, Williams
had three drops on nine targets.
“I just ain’t capitalize as much as I know I can,” he said Tuesday, Sept. 15.
Those blown opportunities tarnished his 2026 debut, which left him with a sour taste in his mouth.
“I don’t think it was too good,” said Williams, who finished with four catches and 45 receiving yards.
But Williams didn’t dwell on his Week 1 flop.
“I really wasn’t even focused on what I did after the game was over,” he said. “We got a big win. That was a good win. We’re 1-0.”
That is true. But the positive result did little to squelch the uproar about Williams’ disappointing performance, which has remained a hot topic of conversation since the game ended.
Goff and Lions coach Dan Campbell have done their part to take the air out of it.
“I'm not worried about him in the slightest,” Goff told reporters after the game.
Campbell isn’t either.
“I’m not concerned," Campbell said in his weekly interview Tuesday, Sept. 15, on 97.1-FM (WXYT). "I mean, look, nobody’s more frustrated than he is about it, but what I love is this just shows his growth. He bounced back, he gets back in the huddle. He’s not sulking, he’s not pouting about it, he’s not letting it go in the tank. Listen, man, all you can do is reload, regroup and go back for more, and that’s what he’s done a good job of."
Williams, who has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards each of the last two seasons, led the NFL with 12 drops in 2025.
But there was hope his hands would be more reliable this year after he made a series of contested catches throughout a buzzworthy training camp.
As he watched him haul in pass after pass at the team's Allen Park headquarters, Campbell gushed about the fleet-footed wideout and noted that he was one of the team’s standouts during those intense summer practices. He seemed convinced he was on his way to becoming a more complete receiver and a more dependable one, too. It’s clear his viewpoint hasn’t changed even after Williams dropped the ball multiple times Sunday.
“He’s going to be fine,” Campbell said.
Reed limited in practice with foot injury
Cornerback D.J. Reed popped up on the team’s practice report Tuesday with a foot injury. He was classified as a limited participant along with center Juice Scruggs (knee). Right tackle Blake Miller (knee) and Christian Mahogany (hip) were sidelined for the second straight day. Meanwhile, nickel cornerback Christian Izien, who sat out the season opener with a groin injury, went through his second consecutive full practice.
Whether he will be available to play Thursday against Buffalo remains unclear. But Campbell seems hopeful that Izien will be ready to go.
“He's looked pretty good through the weekend,” Campbell noted. “We've continued to run him in preparation hopefully for this game. He took some reps yesterday, so I'd say he's trending the right way, but not totally there yet. But I think there's a good chance.”
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Even Jameson Williams admits Week 1 game vs Saints was dud
