Jameson Williams took full ownership of penalty that nearly cost the Lions

Other than his highlight-reel hurdle of Bears safety Kevin Byard, it was mostly a solid, non-descript day for Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams on Thursday (five catches for 28 yards, two carries for 18 yards).

But with the Lions leading 23-13 and trying stave off the Bears' comeback attempt in the fourth quarter, Williams made what could have been a huge mistake. Forced out bounds on the Chicago sideline after a three-yard run, and after Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (who was not in the game) seemed to say something not very nice to him, Williams tossed the ball toward Stevenson and hit him squarely in the face. It was objectively hilarious, but it was also not smart.

Williams a got a 15-yard taunting penalty, giving the Lions a 2nd-and-22. The brief momentum of the drive was stalled, and it ended with Jake Bates missing a 45-yard field goal.

If not for the Bears completely botching the final minute of the game, Williams' penalty and the resulting missed field goal could have cost the Lions a win.

Wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle-El gave Williams an earful on the sideline after the play.

Jameson Williams took full ownership for nearly-costly penalty

After the game, head coach Dan Campell talked about things the Lions needed to clean up. Asked if Williams' penalty was among those things, Campbell revealed what had already happened before he took the podium.

"Yeah, and look, I’ll be honest with you, that’s already cleaned up. It’s already cleaned up,” Campbell said. “So, we’re good. And as a matter of fact, Jamo got right in front of the team a minute ago, unsolicited, and wanted to apologize to his teammates. That’s big, that’s growth. So all good.”

Quarterback Jared Goff echoed Campbell's sentiment, calling Williams' apology "huge."

"He's right where he needs to be, he's doing a good job," Goff said. "I know that was a mistake by him, but I'm proud of him, the way he handled it, the way he stood up and took responsibility. We'll move on, there's no problems there."

There has been a lot of talk about Williams' growth as a player and man heading into and during his third season. Taking ownership of his mistake on Thursday is a huge reflection of that, with the next step not doing something like that in the first place.