Jameson Williams was held to just 23 yards on four receptions against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1, leaving the Detroit Lions' fastest receiver completely shut out of the offense.
In his defense, no Lions receiver could get any major separation against the Packers' secondary in the game, with Amon-Ra St. Brown settling for a total of 45 receiving yards despite looking like the best weapon on offense for Detroit all game.
With the Lions' offensive line still a work in progress, and with Jared Goff even admitting to reporters that he expects it'll take 4 or 5 weeks for the offense to begin truly rolling, it doesn't seem likely that Williams will be getting any more explosive any time soon. That's why NBC Sports' Denny Carter has Williams as a candidate for regression in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears.
""I’m more than a little worried that Jared Goff simply can’t support a wideout like Williams. Goff in Week 1 averaged a miserable 4.4 air yards per attempt, the second lowest mark of the week. That’ll work for Sam LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown, but it won’t do much for Jamo as a dangerous downfield threat. Against Green Bay, Jamo averaged 5.6 air yards per target. Maybe that’ll work if he can break short receptions for long gains. I’m queasy about the whole thing, but one would think the Lions will make a concerted effort to involve the guy they just signed to an $83 million extension.""Carter on Williams' possible regression
Williams has to be more involved in offense for Week 2 victory
Williams' speed and hands are what make him such a special addition to a Lions offense that can also find yardage on the ground (usually). He's a deep ball threat, and one that was just not utilized last Sunday as Goff struggled to stay in the pocket against a continuous pass rush threat by the Packers' defensive line.
READ MORE: Lions run game will improve after Week 1 trouncing (but not right away)
In Week 2, the Lions have the benefit of not having to face off with Green Bay's ridiculously underrated front line - and yes, they were underrated prior to the Micah Parsons trade. They can likely find a better groove in this contest, which is going to be huge as they wrap things up this weekend to travel to Baltimore to face off with the Ravens in Monday Night Football in Week 3. Fun!
Finding what does and doesn't work in John Morton's offense is going to be hard for the Lions as they have one of the hardest schedules in the league. A young and inexperienced IOL is going to make it hard for Goff to find Williams downfield, so they'll need to figure out those kinks quickly before Detroit is facing down a deficit in a tough NFC North.