One of the reasons for the Lions' disappointing second-half performance in their Thanksgiving win over the Chicago Bears was a costly penalty on Detroit wide receiver Jameson Williams. “Jamo” threw the ball into the face of a Bears player on the Chicago sideline and received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
The violation killed any momentum the Lions had with just under 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter when the Lions desperately needed momentum. The penalty pushed the Lions from the 30-yard line back to the Bears' 44-yard line, setting up 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 some things that needed to be addressed after nearly blowing a 16-0 halftime lead. Williams' penalty stuck in his mind. Campbell praised Williams for his mistake.
“Yes, and look, I’ll be honest with you, this is already sorted out. “It’s already cleaned up,” Campbell said in his press conference. “So, we’re good. And actually a minute ago, Jamo stood directly in front of the team without being asked and wanted to apologize to his teammates. This is big, this is growth. So all is well.”
Williams was a big part of the Lions' offense in the win over the Bears. He was targeted on seven passes, caught five for 29 yards and also ran twice for 18 yards. This included one spectacular hurdle over a Bears defender.
