One of the contributing factors in the Lions’ underwhelming second-half performance in the Thanksgiving win over the Chicago Bears was a costly penalty against Detroit wide receiver Jameson Williams. “Jamo” flipped the ball into the face of a Bears player on the Chicago sideline, earning an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
The infraction stymied any Lions momentum at a time–just under 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter–when the Lions desperately needed some. The penalty pushed the Lions back from near the 30-yard line to the Bears 44 and created a 2nd-and-22. The drive stalled, and kicker Jake Bates missed his first goal of the season.
After the game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell talked about several things that needed to get cleaned up after nearly blowing a 16-0 halftime lead. Williams’ penalty was prominent in his mind. Campbell credited Wiliams for owning his mistake.
“Yeah, and look, I’ll be honest with you, that’s already cleaned up. It’s already cleaned up,” Campbell said in his press conference. “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.”
Williams was a big part of the Lions offense in the win over the Bears. He was targeted on seven passes, catching five for 29 yards, while also running twice for 18 yards. That included a spectacular hurdle over a Bears defender.