Former Alabama WR Jameson Williams hauls in game-winning TD to down previously unbeaten Vikings
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Former Alabama standout wide receiver Jameson Williams has had staying power with the Detroit Lions during his still-young NFL career, and he delivered for the Lions in a huge way on Sunday afternoon at Ford Field.
With the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings in town, the undefeated Vikings, Williams went to work late to make sure those Vikings didn’t leave Detroit still unbeaten.
Williams, who played just 1 season at Alabama in 2021 but made it count, being named first-team All-SEC and a first-team All-American, got free toward the back-left corner of the end zone and hauled in a 7-yard touchdown pass from Jared Goff to give the Lions a 19-15 lead with just 4:35 left in the game.
It was Williams’ 5th touchdown catch of the season, and it might have been the most important TD of Detroit’s season to date, because the Lions held on to win by that same 19-15 score and handed Minnesota that first loss of the season.
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While the Vikings fell to 6-1, Detroit suddenly climbed within 1 game of Minnesota while improving to 5-2 on the season.
The magic happened on a first-and-goal play, as Goff and Williams hooked up against what was a defenseless Vikings secondary on the play.
Williams’ TD was part of a strong afternoon for the 5th-year pro who has spent his entire career with the Lions. He caught 4 passes for 70 yards on Sunday, including that winning touchdown and also including a 46-yard grab, so he showed his ability to stretch the field.
With 27 catches now on the season after Sunday, Williams saved his best for when Detroit needed him the most. The former Alabama stud who spent the first 2 seasons of his collegiate career at Ohio State in 2019 and 2020 was at the center of a huge NFC North victory that kept the Lions right in the mix in such a competitive division.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
