The Detroit Lions pretty much have to win out the remainder of their season, now that they’re a 7-5 team and in a division with strong contenders. As much as it’s painful to say, the Chicago Bears are shoo-ins to make the playoffs and sitting at No. 1 in the NFC North and entire NFC. The Green Bay Packers, who the Lions lost to this season, are No. 2 in the NFC North.
The Lions are coming up on an important game against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, December 4, and heading into the event, there’s plenty of finger-pointing going on. It’s never nice to point fingers, but when teams are losing, especially in strange ways like the Lions, it’s going to happen.
By “strange ways,” this author means the excessive fourth-down calls. Addressing those after the team’s loss to the Packers, Lions head coach Dan Campbell said he doesn’t plan to stop the aggressive play-calling. “No, a lot of it depends on where the game is at, too,” he said. “Where the game’s at, the opponent, how your defense is playing. Do you feel like you have a really good handle on what you’re going to get from that defense. Who you’re going to and all of those things.” He continued, “Going into it we liked those plays. So no, I wouldn’t say necessarily that’s going to have an effect on me.”
Detroit Lions Player Opens Up About Dropped Play
One of the most talked-about plays of the Lions and Packers game was when on fourth-down in the second-half, Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw to wide receiver Jameson Williams. The pass was dropped, and that was pretty much the end of Detroit’s chances to win.
While some pointed fingers at Goff, Williams is taking the heat. He opened up about the incident on Monday, December 1.
“Yeah, that’s a drop. That’s why I did all that after the play,” he said. “No matter where the ball’s at, as a receiver, you’ve got to make plays.”
Here’s where he stood up for Goff, stating, “The blame doesn’t go on the quarterback. It goes to us. I’m saying it’s my fault because I dropped the ball. He gave me the opportunity. I’ve just got to make the best of the opportunity and move the sticks for us. I move the sticks right there, it could be a whole different game for us.”
Detroit Lions Talk Facing the Dallas Cowboys
Williams also said that he and the Lions are prepared for the Cowboys. “We’ve seen these guys two of my first three years in the league. We know what they can do and know these defensive back’s tendencies. We know how to attack them. That’s a huge shout-out to the coaches. They put in extra work for us and tell us what they see and we do extra work, too.”
It’s heartwarming that Williams wants to take the blame and take some slack off Goff. He really has no reason to apologize, of course. He’s notched 706 yards and six touchdowns this season, according to ESPN research, and is a lifeline for the team.
