Free Press columnist Carlos Monarrez tackles the tough questions after the Detroit Lions‘ 40-14 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Ford Field:
How did Jameson Williams look in his debut?
Easy: Hall of Famer. Check that: first-ballot Hall of Famer. OK, let’s pump the brakes just a bit on the speedy receiver taken 12th overall in April. His long-awaited debut, thanks to an ACL injury, finally arrived Sunday. But it wasn’t much of a debut; he played only a handful of snaps, with just one target, which fell incomplete on a well-guarded deep route. How did he look? He looked fast enough, but at this point the hype has grown so out of control that everyone’s expecting Usain Bolt speed. This was clearly just a chance to get his feet wet and get him used to the week-long routine of getting ready for an NFL game. A chant seemed to rise up from fans late in the game calling for him to get into the game, but that appeal fell on deaf ears. It was a modest beginning but an encouraging one if he continues to get healthier and keeps getting those pregame high-fives from Rod Wood and hugs from Sheila Ford Hamp.
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How good did the Lions look?
As I wrote earlier in the week, the Lions look like a dangerous team with playoff potential. They don’t control their destiny as much as they would like, but they’re doing everything they can to help themselves. It was such a thorough performance in all three phases — the likes of which we haven’t seen too often from this team over the years — that it was a little hard to believe the Lions were 4-7 coming into the game. But everything they touched was gold. D’Andre Swift saw his most action in a long time and led the rushing attack. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught two touchdown passes and keeps looking more and more like a Pro Bowler. And the defense held Trevor Lawrence to a 54.8% completion rate. It’s just another step for this team — and a reminder that there’s more meaningful football awaiting in December.
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Any concerns that came out of this game?
At one point late in the game, the Free Press’ Dave Birkett turned to me and said he didn’t know how he couldn’t give everyone an A in his grades. I thought about it for a minute and agreed.
No game is perfect, but this was close. Scott Daly had a low snap, DeShon Elliott got beat deep by Christian Kirk and Jared Goff made a couple of poor throws and some questionable decisions not to get rid of the ball quickly. But Dan Campbell won his challenge on a third-down call and every phase was solid if not spectacular at times against a Jaguars team that truly lived up to its 4-8 record. The Lions won’t always have a game this easy down the stretch, but they should be proud of doing what they were supposed to do.
Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.