Detroit Lions WR Jameson Williams isn’t reliving his feud with Chicago Bears’ Tyrique Stevenson

Jameson Williams has no interest in reliving his costly penalty from the Detroit Lions’ last game against the Chicago Bears.

Early in the fourth quarter of a 23-20 victory over the Bears on Thanksgiving, with the Lions leading 23-13, Williams took a devastating penalty. He threw a 3-yard catch down the sideline to get the Lions’ offense inside the Bears’ 30-yard line, but as he came back onto the field, he threw the ball into the face of Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenston, to achieve compensation taunting punishment.

“I’m just looking forward to getting back on track and us winning,” Williams said in response to the Stevenson question.

The Lions will face the Bears again on Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago at 1 p.m.

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He did not address the incident again on Thursday, but his position coach Antwaan Randle El made it clear that it had been a focus of attention over the past two weeks. Randle El scolded Williams live on the sidelines, which became a meme that ended up on the wide receivers coach’s desk.

“Of course I saw it, everyone sent it to me,” Randle El said Wednesday. “And then the message (to him) is: You can’t do this, you just can’t do that. That was the message, and never do it again.”

Televised video of the exchange between Williams and Stevenson appeared to show Stevenson extending a leg and tripping Williams, causing him to fall to the sideline. After getting up, Williams jogged back to the field and threw the ball in his face.

Randle El said it doesn’t matter whether Williams stumbled or not, restraint is always required on the field, especially when players try to get under his skin.

“It doesn’t change,” Randle El said. “There are people in the league who do that and it gets under your skin if you let it. They usually catch the guy who reacts the second time, and that’s exactly what happened to Jamo.”

The Lions held on for the win, and Williams addressed the team directly, apologizing for the costly penalty in the locker room. The NFL took further action, fining Stevenson $19,697 for the trip. Williams was not fined.

Since the Stevenson incident, Williams has recorded eight catches for 117 yards and a touchdown in the last two games and has not been penalized. He was not used in the running game after playing three straight games with at least one carry leading up to Thanksgiving.

Williams said the only focus this weekend was for the team to get back in the win column and avoid two straight losses since the first half of the 2022 season.

“It’s hard to win NFL games no matter what team is in front of you and what coaches are on the other side,” Williams said. “So we’re just trying to make a breakthrough to get back on track.”

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Ben Johnson’s play calls are “like playing Madden”

Williams firmly believes offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is ready for his own head coaching job if the opportunity arises.

On Thursday, Johnson said he still has a “burning desire” to become a head coach if the right opportunity presents itself. Johnson interviewed for open positions over the past two offseasons but chose to remain in Detroit.

“He would be a great head coach,” Williams said. I think he’s a master on offense and I’m pretty sure he’ll find someone to take care of defense. Defense wins championships, but offense also wins championships – winning points.”

Williams declined to go into further detail when asked what it was about Johnson that made him the “mastermind” on offense. He said Johnson was a great teacher on the sidelines and that his game calls at times resembled playing a video game.

“I couldn’t tell you, I’d probably give the sauce away,” Williams said with a grin. “He’s really smart with the game. I talk to him a lot on the side when we’re not on offense and he just explains a few things to me. And some things, like, I never knew how to play the game, but it’s different.”

“…Once they get a feel for the game and understand the game very well, it becomes easy. You know what to say against certain defenses. It’s a bit like playing ‘Madden.'”

Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press. Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22and email him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on the Detroit Free Press: Jameson Williams plays down the penalty from the Lions’ first game against the Bears