The Detroit Lions survived the Jameis Winston-led New York Giants in a hard fought 34-27 overtime victory. One of the more interesting notes of the win is the fact that Jameson Williams was a non-factor, with 0 receptions on just 3 targets.
This continues one of the more interesting trends in the Lions' offense this season: the team is a perfect 5-0 when Williams sees 4 or fewer targets in a game. When he sees at least 5, they're only 2-4.
This becomes especially noteworthy when you factor in the $83 million extension Williams signed this offseason. That could have the coaching staff feeling more pressure to keep Williams involved, but it's clear at this point that there's no need to force things.
Lions Offense Must be Content Putting Receiver Jameson Williams in Lesser Role
It's time to put egos aside and realise that the best path to winning might mean Williams playing a lesser role. One could argue that this was the lesson the Lions should take away from this game, understanding the potential impact of the receiver in a lesser role. Williams is at his best as a deep threat, keeping the defense on its toes and striking just when he is being overlooked.
He's not the type of high-volume producer that Amon-Ra St. Brown or Jahmyr Gibbs are. And that's not a knock against Williams — it's just the way his play style differs. And it's what makes him a great complement to those two in the offense.
He leads the team in yards per target this season (10.6), and his 16.3 yards per touch blow away anyone else with even 5-plus touches on the team (second place is Sam LaPorta at 12.2, St-Brown is third at 11.4).
For someone like St-Brown or Gibbs, you follow the simple approach of getting the ball in your playmakers' hands and watching good things happen. But for a home-run hitter like Williams, forcing things will only serve to limit his effectiveness.
Star receivers aren't exactly known for being happy with limited workloads, but Williams likely understood this reality when he signed his extension. He wouldn't have thought he was suddenly going to overtake St-Brown or Gibbs as the top options in the offense, and that suggests he understands just how much those two help him stay at his most effective too.
Dan Campbell calling plays for the offense helps this situation even more, as he's not the type of coach who's going to be afraid to tackle the situation head-on if Williams does feel like he needs more touches either. And with the Lions fighting for a playoff spot, every single player needs to be fully bought in to doing whatever is needed to rack up the wins.