by After a stunning Lions victory over the Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday to end the NFL regular season, running back Jamaal Williams capped off a memorable night with an unforgettable interview following Detroit’s 20-16 victory.
Williams, who spent his first four seasons with Green Bay, returned to his old stomping grounds to help the Lions topple their NFC North rival and prevent Aaron Rodgers and Co. from returning to the postseason. Williams sealed the huge victory with a two-touchdown performance to pass Hall of Famer Barry Sanders’ franchise record (16) for most rushing scores in a season; the sixth-year pro also surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in the win for the first time in his career.
After the game, an emotional Williams spoke with NBC sideline reporter Melissa Stark and dedicated her big day to her 92-year-old great-grandfather, who recently passed away.
“I just dedicate this to him,” a tearful Williams told Stark. “I’m just proud, I’m just grateful to do this for him … I’m just grateful that he’s in my life and I’m grateful to be able to play football and do this for him.”
As Williams tried his best to regain his composure, the 27-year-old quickly flipped the switch back to beast mode and wiped away tears to send a message to anyone who doubted Detroit going into the game. Going into Sunday night, the entire NBC crew, minus Tony Dungy, especially predicted The Packers would beat the Lions during the pregame show.
“And another thing, stop playing with us, man,” Williams continued. “We Detroit Lions, we Detroit Lions, stop playing with us and I don’t even watch TV but I heard everybody already picked the Packers over us. Stop playing with us, that’s all I got to say, man . Don’t let these tears fool you, all this throbs around this mug. I’m good.”
While Williams seemed reluctant to continue sharing his feelings, it’s unlikely anyone would dare challenge his toughness, especially after his career year.
Against Green Bay, Williams logged 16 carries for 72 yards and two TDs, his sixth multi-TD game of the season. Both of his scores came on one-yard plunges, with the first coming in the third quarter to give the Lions a 13–9 lead. But it was Williams’ second score that ultimately proved to be the difference, as he found the end zone with 5:55 to play in the fourth quarter to give Detroit the decisive advantage.
Williams finished his second season with the Lions with a career-high 262 carries, 1,066 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. Despite missing the playoffs for the sixth straight year, the 2022 campaign is the Lions’ first winning season (9–8) since 2017.
