A matchup that looked great looking ahead to the season for Jameson Williams against Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in Week 13, with just one catch (one one target) for eight yards for the Lions wide receiver when he was lined up against Stevenson on Thanksgiving Day.
Williams and Stevenson did have a separate interaction on another play in the game though. With less than 10 minutes left in the Thanksgiving Day game, Williams was forced out of bounds on the Bears' sideline with Stevenson nearby.
Williams drew a 15-yard penalty for throwing the ball at Stevenson, hitting him in the face to boot, which he took full ownership of as a bad mistake right after the game. The penalty could been costly for the Lions, as they had to settle for a field goal on that drive, if not for the Bears completely botching the end of their final drive.
Stevenson clearly said something somewhat untoward to Williams, prompting Williams to say something back to him and throw the ball at him. The accuracy of the throw was almost too good to be fully intended, but the "second guy always gets caught" rule clearly applied when Williams drew a flag.
Jameson Williams tossed a ball straight to the face of Tyrique Stevenson 😭 pic.twitter.com/9FRGS7ZV9j
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) November 28, 2024
Upon closer review. Stevenson also clearly tripped Williams after he was out of bounds. The league office stood a good chance to notice that as unsportsmanlike, as well as an attempt to injure, when they took a closer look at the play. The fact Stevenson was not even in the game adds an ironic layer to the situation.
The NFL has clipped video of the Jamo and Stevenson incident and highlighted the trip pic.twitter.com/8PE4XQPi0g
— Erik Schlitt (@erikschlitt) December 7, 2024
Tyrique Stevenson draws noticeable fine for play involving Jameson Williams
It seemed unlikely Williams would draw any further penalty for the play in question when fines were doled league-wide out for Week 13 indiscretions. That was confirmed on Saturday, but Stevenson did draw a notable fine.
Stevenson was fined $19,697 for tripping Williams. That's a bigger fine than, as an example, Lions safety Brian Branch has received for anything he's been singularly fined for this season. The league found Stevenson was in the wrong and Williams was not, as any objective analysis of the play would have confirmed.