Touchdown waiting to happen: It was good to see Week 1 with the bright lights on what we've been seeing from Jameson Williams all through the offseason training program and training camp. The third-year wide receiver had five catches for 121 yards with a 52-yard touchdown that he got behind the defense on. It's been really good from Williams dating all the way back to March, and talking to him after the game he still felt like he left a lot more plays out on the field. That's got to be exciting for the Lions moving forward as he played a career-high 52 snaps against the Rams (85 percent of the offensive plays).
"Me personally, I expect to have a big game, I guess, it's just big to the world just cause it's my first one," Williams said afterward. "But I plan to have a lot more. I don't plan on this being my best game of my career. I plan on this just being a start of me being me."
Big play waiting to happen: Second-year safety Brian Branch is going to watch the tape of Sunday's game and probably wonder to himself, 'What if?' We can see why the Lions like Branch at safety. He's so instinctive. He had an opportunity for a couple interceptions in the game that could have been huge plays. Those are coming. Lions fans are going to like having No. 32 roaming the back end of the defense.
Branch finished with seven tackles, a tackle for loss and three passes defended, making him the first Lions safety to finish a game with three passes defended and a tackle for loss.
Disruptive front: The Lions think their defensive line can be a catalyst for their defense and they certainly brought the pressure Sunday night. The group finished with only 2.0 sacks, but they hit Matthew Stafford 12 times, had 12 tackles for loss (not all DL) and Los Angeles averaged less than 4.0 yards per carry (3.6) with a long of just 12 yards. That front was disruptive and allowed players to make plays behind them. Now wait until DJ Reader gets back.
WR depth: Should we be concerned that no Lions receiver other than Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown was targeted on a pass Sunday? That doesn't seem too sustainable moving forward even with tight end Sam LaPorta and running back Jahmyr Gibbs being a big part of the passing game. The Lions need to find that third threat on the outside. Will we see them promote different receivers as the weeks go by?
Battling back: Two years ago, Levi Onwuzurike didn't know if a back injury that required surgery would end his career. He missed his entire second season because of it. He played 64 percent of the defensive snaps Sunday as a big part of the DL rotation and recorded a sack, two quarterback hits and a couple tackles. That's huge for the depth of the Lions' defensive front.
DPI penalties: Rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold was making his first start after the Lions made him a first-round pick in this year's NFL Draft. Arnold has looked the part all camp. He got a couple pass interference penalties Sunday night, and he'll learn to turn his head and limit the contact on those, but I loved the aggressiveness overall from him throughout the game.
My biggest takeaway from his performance is that the moment isn't too big for him and he's going to continue to get better the more experience he gets. He'll be tested again next week by a Buccaneers' offense that likes to take shots down the field with a really good WR corps including Mike Evans.
Asserting will: The OT game-winning drive for the Lions was pure domination. It was a great example of what this offense is capable of in the run game from the offensive line play out to the tight ends and receivers. From Penei Sewell's double block on the 21-yard David Montgomery run, to St. Brown sticking his nose in the blocking game in the second level, and all the way to Montgomery walking into the end zone for the game winner, the Lions have the players to assert their will in the run game.
When opportunity knocks: No one is going to confuse Jared Goff with Josh Allen or any other NFL quarterback that uses their legs as a dangerous weapon. But Goff has some athleticism and he showed it when he scrambled for an important 7-yard gain to pick up a first down on 3rd & 6 with 11 minutes to play. Goff often gets it done with that big right arm and the knowledge of the game he has, but don't sleep on his ability to make a play with his legs here and there too.
More to come: The 53-yard touchdown catch for Williams from Goff was just the fourth touchdown pass of 50-or-more yards for Goff as a Lion. I was a little surprised by that statistic, but watching what Williams brings to the table in the big-play department, I wouldn't be surprised if Goff doubles that number through 17 contests this year.
