It’s almost never felt better to be a Detroit Lions fan than it has in the past 24 hours. Not only did they finish pummeling the Packers on Thursday Night Football in Lambeau, but now they are getting Jameson Williams back two games early due to the NFL’s new gambling policy. This is fantastic news for the Lions’ offense and how they will play in future games. Let’s break down Jameson Williams’ impact in his return, and what the Lions’ future games look like.
What Impact Will Jameson Williams Have On the Lions?
Whenever Jameson Williams came back last year, he had an instant impact even if it didn’t show up on the statsheet. His pure speed and route-running had defenses stressing and caused other players to get open underneath when defenses focused on taking away the deep ball. We saw a couple of plays last year when he got involved, which displayed how game-changing his speed and elusiveness can be if used correctly. It may take a bit for him to get used to the speed of the NFL again, but once he does he will be an instant game-changer on the offensive side of the ball.
I wouldn’t expect Williams to be back this upcoming week, as he has not been allowed in the Lions’ facility at all during his suspension for training or practice. So Detroit may give him Week 5 off so he can get back into the swing of things with the offense, and so Ben Johnson can tweak the playbook and gameplan to use his ability to their advantage. I’d expect Jameson Williams to have an almost immediate impact whenever he’s ready to come back, using that killer speed to make game-changing plays and to get guys like Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta open across the middle.
The Lions’ Upcoming Games Going Into the Bye
This upcoming week, Detroit has an extended rest week heading back home to play the currently 0-3 Carolina Panthers. While this Panthers team is definitely not good, a lot of people are already chalking this up as a win, when we should not be taking them lightly. The last time they tried to take a team lightly, they lost in overtime in an absolute shootout. The Panthers have shown flashes throughout their first three games, but haven’t put it all together yet. So no matter how bad you think this team is, they should play every game like they played last night and keep pressure on Bryce Young.
In the following game, the Lions play the currently 2-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have shocked the world so far. This is another team not to take lightly, especially in that environment down in Tampa. If the Lions and Lions fans can show up to this game like they showed up to Arrowhead and Lambeau, then they should be able to come out of Tampa with a win. Regardless though, Detroit needs to come out swinging keep Baker Mayfield under pressure, and force him to make bad decisions in order to win this game.
Then after that, the Lions have probably their hardest matchup of this entire stretch, going to play the current 2-1 Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore. The Ravens up to this point have looked like one of the best teams in the AFC, even with the overwhelming amount of injuries they have had up to this point. The biggest thing the Lions need to focus on in this game is something they have excelled at this year, they need to shut down the run. The Ravens have a good run-blocking offensive line, a decent running back core, and one of the best rushing quarterbacks in NFL history. If the Lions can get the ball moving on offense early and consistently shut down the run as they have been, then they have a shot at winning this game.
Then the final game before going into the bye, the Lions play Monday Night Football at home against the current 1-2 Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders have had extreme ups and downs through just three games this year and may be missing Jimmy Garrapolo for this game. If they do, however, the best way to play them is to pressure Garrapoloas as much as possible and force him to make mistakes. He has made many questionable throws already this year, so forcing him to make bad reads would put them at a great advantage. By the end of this stretch, I see the Detroit Lions going 6-2.
