{"id":35050,"date":"2025-10-10T02:27:44","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T02:27:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=35050"},"modified":"2025-10-10T02:27:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T02:27:44","slug":"breaking-lions-coaches-explain-how-defenses-are-game-planning-against-jameson-williams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=35050","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Lions coaches explain how defenses are game-planning against Jameson Williams"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<nav aria-label=\"articleLabel\">\n<ol id=\"articleLabel__list\"><\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\">\n<article id=\"arc-S662SFENEZHD7IYYCXJZ3KB4SM\" data-type=\"article\">\n<div>\n<figure>\n<div>\n<div><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mlive.com\/resizer\/v2\/YTJOXS733RB5FNP3A3AOSJJELU.jpg?auth=2c360f3d1b77aeba03602c720894446c8747cb62b4cf8db48ab07d07d8c27968&amp;width=500&amp;smart=true&amp;quality=90 500w\" media=\"(max-width: 500px)\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mlive.com\/resizer\/v2\/YTJOXS733RB5FNP3A3AOSJJELU.jpg?auth=2c360f3d1b77aeba03602c720894446c8747cb62b4cf8db48ab07d07d8c27968&amp;width=800&amp;smart=true&amp;quality=90 800w\" media=\"(max-width: 800px)\" sizes=\"80vw\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mlive.com\/resizer\/v2\/YTJOXS733RB5FNP3A3AOSJJELU.jpg?auth=2c360f3d1b77aeba03602c720894446c8747cb62b4cf8db48ab07d07d8c27968&amp;width=1280&amp;smart=true&amp;quality=90 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, (max-width: 800px) 80vw, 60vw\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mlive.com\/resizer\/v2\/YTJOXS733RB5FNP3A3AOSJJELU.jpg?auth=2c360f3d1b77aeba03602c720894446c8747cb62b4cf8db48ab07d07d8c27968&amp;width=1280&amp;smart=true&amp;quality=90\" alt=\"Lions coaches explain how defenses are game-planning against Jameson Williams\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams points during warmups before an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo\/Carolyn Kaster)AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p id=\"AAM7H2HZVBB5PGOKNOMO2NTHYA\">ALLEN PARK \u2013 The Detroit Lions head into their Week 6 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs as the NFL\u2019s top-scoring team (34.8 points per game). They sit atop the NFC North at 4-1 and were essentially a unanimous No. 1 in this week\u2019s power-rankings roundup across the league.<\/p>\n<p id=\"KJTVASXCOZGCPA3AGHP6ELKKEM\">Despite their success, questions have arisen in recent weeks about the usage &#8212; or lack thereof &#8212; of wide receiver Jameson Williams. Specifically, his lack of targets and how the Lions can better design plays to involve the fourth-year receiver more in the offense.<\/p>\n<p id=\"P6XJ4JF5CZE7LMDOWLOQWYVYMQ\">Through five games, he has 21 targets, averaging 4.2 per outing. He\u2019s caught 11 of them for 224 yards and one touchdown.<\/p>\n<p id=\"7L564OPW2NC2FDTYEGE2XWGE6U\">Earlier in the week, Lions coach Dan Campbell alluded to opposing defenses using shell coverage against Williams, which prevents him from being a deep threat.<\/p>\n<p id=\"VEKMZI2KY5AOBCF47YY4QB6F6A\">When speaking to reporters on Thursday, defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard expanded on that point and detailed what\u2019s preventing offensive coordinator John Morton from getting Williams more involved.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_4589,h_2581\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/196\/01k6zh5msy8m6d174vkk.jpg\" alt=\"Lions Make Sure to Butter Up Jameson Williams After Another Quiet Game\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"IVKXT3PIOBE3HGGGX2NYEFFNBE\">\u201cI can\u2019t imagine the job that John Morton\u2019s tasked with. He\u2019s done an unbelievable job,\u201d Sheppard said. \u201cIf I got handed the keys to that (offense) and was told, \u2018You have five to six high-level players to expect 10 touches a game,\u2019 well, I need 80 plays on offense to get that done. You know what I mean? It\u2019s a time and place for everything. It\u2019s no different than defense deploying. When Malcolm (Rodriguez) comes back, Zach (Cunningham) comes back &#8212; and you\u2019ve got four or five starting-caliber linebackers &#8212; well, there\u2019s going to be people asking, \u2018When is Malcolm going to play?\u2019 or \u2018When is Zach going to play at all?\u2019<\/p>\n<p id=\"FX7X22JHXZDGTAHVPEJTQ47MFM\">\u201cIt\u2019s about the right time and place for everything. And finally, maybe &#8212; just maybe &#8212; he\u2019s opening up windows for all these explosive underneath routes that you\u2019re seeing (Sam) LaPorta, (Amon-Ra St. Brown) and (Jahmyr) Gibbs have, because you\u2019ve got to keep a shell over the top of him.<\/p>\n<p id=\"5G7JIKH5XBHW5PQ7ZKN72E5JRU\">Sheppard continued, doubling down on his defense of Morton\u2019s play-calling and usage of Williams.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ERKYPQLADVFQRMHUIB4SF2V5W4\">\u201cSo when I hear things like that, I hope that not only the fans but the media &#8212; everybody &#8212; understands the job that John Morton has been tasked with taking over that offense,\u201d the Lions DC said. \u201cAnd then let\u2019s congratulate him for the job that he\u2019s done and not try to nitpick at things about, \u2018Why isn\u2019t this guy\u2026\u2019 or \u2018Why isn\u2019t that guy getting involved?\u2019 He\u2019s doing an incredible job. And right now, I think we\u2019re number one in scoring offense &#8212; which helps me as the defensive coordinator.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"WZINLO4UYBCCVK7JYCH6JIMXWE\">While Sheppard defended Morton\u2019s play distribution and praised how the coordinator balances a roster full of skill talent, Morton provided further insight into why Williams\u2019 targets have dipped in recent weeks. The offensive coordinator said defensive looks have forced Detroit to adjust its approach through the air.<\/p>\n<p id=\"V5F623UJSJF2DCXZB4PSI7B4VA\">Morton explained that opposing defenses have begun sitting in more two-high zone coverages &#8212; keeping both safeties deep to prevent Williams from taking the top off &#8212; a shift he called the \u201cJameson effect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_67,y_8,w_2638,h_1483\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/196\/01jsctxvnaz3nzp9m54c.jpg\" alt=\"Threat of Lions Playmaker Being Traded During Draft Just Got More Serious\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"Z7XJDR6JWJDYVGABEY26KJBYTA\">That alignment limits opportunities for vertical shots but opens space underneath for reliable targets like St. Brown, LaPorta, and Gibbs. So it\u2019s not that Morton doesn\u2019t want to get Williams involved; he\u2019s simply taking what the defense gives him.<\/p>\n<p id=\"WPYMYE2DI5H5FGBGVUMPOTRX6A\">\u201cThere are a lot of weapons. They (Bengals) changed it up a little bit, and it took a little bit of his throws away,\u201d Morton said. \u201cListen, every game\u2019s different, like I told you guys. Everybody\u2019s got a certain amount of plays; there are a lot of guys that I\u2019ve got to try to get the ball to. I was feeling Saint last week, rightfully so, right? He helped us win that game.<\/p>\n<p id=\"K5ZRIVVOMNAHVFA3C3IGARS47A\">\u201cLike I said, I don\u2019t care what the coverage is, I\u2019m going to call his number. He\u2019s reliable. And the quarterback knows that, too. But I think with Jameson out there, there\u2019s a big threat out there. And teams are now just playing a little bit differently.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lions OC John Morton and DC Kelvin Sheppard explain how defenses are dictating where the ball goes, with Jameson Williams drawing coverage that benefits others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35051,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-detroit-lions"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>BREAKING: Lions coaches explain how defenses are game-planning against Jameson Williams - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=35050\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: Lions coaches explain how defenses are game-planning against Jameson Williams - 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